Locomotor System

The group’s main lines of research focus on the study of the pathophysiology, anatomy, and etiology associated with different skeletal diseases. Research activity is focused on the evaluation and analysis of risk factors involved in the development of cartilage loss, joint instability, and early osteoarthritis. The group also includes research lines on drugs that reduce postsurgical bleeding in prosthetic surgery and on prognostic factors and the evolution of sarcomas.

Main Lines of Research

• Hand surgery and upper limb: anatomical and immunohistochemical study of the thumb carpometacarpal joint, role of nerve endings, Golgi corpuscles, and biomarkers in proprioception, joint stability, and the development of early osteoarthritis; analysis of biomarkers in inflammatory musculoskeletal diseases of the wrist and hand, Kienböck disease, distal radius malunion, factors associated with the development of lunate necrosis, scaphoid nonunion, and ulnar diaphyseal nonunion; guide- and 3D model-assisted techniques for surgical planning; and risk factors for heterotopic ossification in the elbow after radial head prosthesis. (Lamas Gómez, Claudia).
• Oncological orthopedics: adverse effects of metal ion release after salvage surgery with megaprostheses, chondrosarcomas, chondroblastomas in children and young adults, customized mega hip cement spacers in oncological revision surgery, primary iliac sarcoma in elderly patients, validation of international functional scales in Spanish, pathologic fractures in osteosarcoma, treatment of aneurysmal bone cysts using percutaneous injection of demineralized bone matrix and bone marrow growth factors, study of clear cell sarcomas, and analysis of skills defining physical function in lower-extremity amputations. (Gracia Alegria, Isidre).
• Hip: coxarthrosis in young adults, etiological study and biomechanical factors, and influence of hip anatomy on the early development of coxarthrosis. (Valera Pertegas, Marius; Moya Gómez, Esther).
• Knee, ankle, and foot: effect of high-pressure washing versus manual washing on cement penetration in total knee arthroplasty; regeneration of cartilage defects using tissue engineering and matrices seeded with characterized allogeneic chondrocytes; fresh osteochondral allograft transplantation; CT and MRI clinical outcomes; and randomized clinical trial on surgical treatment of Achilles tendon ruptures, Morton neuroma, and floating toe. (Ramírez Bermejo, Eduard; Fa-Binefa, Manel; López Capdevila, Laia).
• Reduction of bleeding risk and complications after orthopedic prosthetic surgery: blood loss control using tranexamic acid in primary prosthetic surgery and knee revision surgery and use of tranexamic acid in noncardiac surgery and risk of major bleeding. (González Osuna, Aranzazu; González Rodríguez, Jose Carlos).
• Trauma: periprosthetic fractures of the femur and tibia, tibial plateau fracture, polytrauma, and biomechanical factors. (Carrera Fernandez, Ion; De Caso Rodriguez, Julio).
• Pediatric orthopedics: skeletal dysplasias, lower limb malformations, percutaneous bone surgery, and knee instability. (Knorr Giménez, Gorka).
• Spine surgery: cervical and thoracolumbar tumors, traumatic and degenerative spinal pathology, and spinal deformities such as thoracolumbar scoliosis and kyphosis. (Gracia Alegria, Isidre; Pérez Romera, Belén; Velázquez Fragoso, Juan Jose; Narvaez Saldivia, Jesús David).

Scientific Challenges

• To maintain current scientific networks and establish new multidisciplinary and interuniversity collaborations.
• To determine epidemiological and risk factors associated with bone necrosis, nonunion, and tumors of the musculoskeletal system.
• To determine the anatomical structures and the role they play in the development of joint instability and early osteoarthritis.
• To analyze biomarkers in inflammatory musculoskeletal diseases with prognostic value.

Contact

Claudia Lamas
clamasg@santpau.cat