AMSSM announces recipients of $300,000 research grant for OA treatment

Reviewed by Kate Anderton, B.Sc. (Editor)Dec 3 2019

The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) and its Collaborative Research Network (CRN) are pleased to announce the recipients of a $300,000 research grant, made possible by Avanos Medical, to study the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions using cooled radiofrequency ablation (CRFA) technology.

Dan Herman, MD, PhD; Prakash Jayabalan, MD; and Katherine Rizzone MD, MPH; will serve as the investigators for their research project titled "Fluoroscopic versus Ultrasound Guidance for Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation of Genicular Nerves in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Control Trial."

The objective of the study is to compare the effectiveness of genicular nerve CRFA on knee osteoarthritis (OA) outcomes via ultrasound (US) guidance and fluoroscopy. The study team proposes to primarily assess differences in patient pain levels and patient-reported function between the two methodologies. Secondary measures include objective performance-based functional outcomes. The study will also analyze blood biomarkers of inflammation, extracellular matrix turnover, and cartilage degradation for an exploratory aim.

We are exceedingly excited for this opportunity. Not only will we be directly assessing the relative utility of ultrasound guidance, we will also be collecting data on a variety of outcomes that have not been used in previous studies on this procedure. This is made possible through the diverse skill set of our team, which I feel is representative of what the CRN is looking to foster within AMSSM."

Dr. Dan Herman, University of Florida

The group consists of AMSSM clinicians and researchers at various locations, including the University of Rochester (Dr. Rizzone), the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (Dr. Jayabalan), and the University of Florida (Dr. Herman). Additional research team members include Jennifer Paul, MD (University of Rochester); Shawn McGargill, MD; and Terrie Vasilopoulos, PhD (University of Florida).

The team of investigators will work closely with the CRN Leadership Committee on this project over the next two years, and the CRN looks forward to sharing results with the membership once they become available.

"Avanos is incredibly proud to be partnering with AMSSM in providing this research grant," said David Curd, vice president of Clinical Affairs, Avanos Medical. "Primary care sports medicine physicians have a unique skill set and practice setting that align perfectly with our cooled radiofrequency technology. We believe that this important research will help these doctors provide exceptional care to their patients."

This grant opportunity was made possible by a donation to the AMSSM Foundation by Avanos Medical, a medical device company focused on delivering clinically superior breakthrough solutions that help patients get back to the things that matter. The grant was open to all AMSSM members, who were encouraged to connect with collaborators both within and outside of AMSSM.