Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease and is a leading cause of disability worldwide [1,2] . The physical impairment from OA of a single lower extremity joint is equivalent to that reported for major life-altering disorders such as end-stage kidney disease and heart failure. The causes of OA are not well understood. [3] However, joint trauma is a leading etiological factor [1,2,4] . Patients sustaining ligament and meniscal injuries of the knee have a ten-fold increased risk of OA when compared to those who did not have a joint injury [7,8] . Twelve years after an anterior cruciate ligament tear, 82% of female soccer players had pathological changes on knee radiographs and 75% had symptoms affecting their knee related quality of life at an average age of just 31 years old [9,10] . Concomitant meniscal injury is associated with an even higher prevalence of knee OA. ACL and meniscal injuries are the most common joint injuries treated by orthopaedic surgeons. The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) is a national organization of orthopaedic surgeons dedicated to sports medicine and focuses on the treatment of injuries commonly sustained by active individuals. Formed in 1972 primarily as a forum for education and research, the AOSSM is now a world leader in sports medicine education, research, communication, and fellowship. A current AOSSM strategic priority is to evaluate methods to support and improve the quality of sports medicine research by identifying critical areas for study and by convening researchers with clinicians to exchange information and develop research priorities. The purpose of this conference is to convene leaders in the field to explore the strong association between joint injury and the development of osteoarthritis. Both clinical leaders and basic scientists will be brought together to determine the current and emerging areas of research, to develop a consensus on future directions in new areas of cooperative research, and to develop new collaborations and strategies for the translation of basic research into patient care. The AOSSM Post-joint Injury Osteoarthritis symposium will be December 11-14, 2008 in New Orleans, LA at a fully-accessible hotel and meeting center. Each session will be moderated by an AOSSM clinician-scientist, and a scientist with expertise in the session topic. The organizers and the faculty are a diverse group, both men and women, from the different parts of the US and abroad. Other participants will include 10 Young Investigators (YI), 14 at-large participants, 5 representatives from industry, and 5 representatives from the NIH. The YI Program will give up to 10 residents/scientists the opportunity to attend. YI applicants must be under 42 years of age or less than 8 years beyond training. The results of the symposium will be disseminated to the musculoskeletal community through publication in the American Journal of Sports Medicine an AOSSM monograph and will also be freely available to the public on the AOSSM website. People suffering injuries to their joints are at high risk of developing disabling wear and tear osteoarthritis in the prime of their lives. This symposium will bring doctors and scientists together to develop research plans to find new methods to prevent this from happening. ? ? ? ?
