Orthopedics Today reports on research by HSS associate scientist, Christopher Mendias, PhD, ATC, which found patients who received human growth hormone (HGH) before and after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction had improved quadriceps strength and a reduced risk of osteoarthritis.

Dr. Mendias and colleagues randomly assigned 19 men undergoing ACL reconstruction to receive HGH or placebo twice daily one week before surgery and continued through five weeks after surgery. Researchers measured knee muscle strength and volume, patient-reported outcome scores and circulating biomarkers at several time points through six months after surgery. They also evaluated the differences between treatment groups and time points using mixed-effects models.

“[Human growth hormone] HGH could potentially be used to safely improve strength and prevent the onset of osteoarthritis after injury,” said Dr. Mendias. “While we have focused our work on ACL tears, it is likely this work is applicable to other traumatic joint injuries or fractures where patients are immobilized for prolonged periods of time.”

Read the full article at Healio.com/news/orthopedics.