Radiographic Knee OA Likely Within Year of Knee Surgery or Injury

A history of knee injury at baseline, but not a history of knee surgery, was a risk factor for radiographic OA (ROA) in a 48-month study. However, incident surgery during the study was a strong risk factor in the development of ROA.

Knee trauma or surgery are known to be important risk factors for the development of knee OA. Now data from the large Osteoarthritis Initiative has entered the inquiry, as a nested case-control study of the relationship between injury, surgery and knee OA, in which a multi-national team of researchers who examined the association in terms of time. 

Participants had risk factors for OA (all were overweight), but did not have definite ROA. Case knees were those in which ROA had developed by the 12- through 48-month annual visits.

A total of 355 such knees were matched to 355 control knees unaffected by ROA during the same time period. Reports of incident knee injury or incident knee surgery since baseline were associated with an increased risk of ROA. Although knee injury at baseline was clearly associated with an increased risk, that risk was highest within the 12 months following either incident knee surgery or incident knee injury.

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The researchers suggest that this is a call for action to prevent the development of knee OA during a vulnerable period.