Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017:21:16-183.
doi: 10.7812/TPP/16-183.

Knee Osteoarthritis: A Primer

Affiliations
Review

Knee Osteoarthritis: A Primer

Michelle J Lespasio et al. Perm J. 2017.

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide a synopsis of the current medical understanding of knee osteoarthritis. We describe the prevalence, causes and associated risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis and classification, and treatment options. A quiz serves to assist readers in their understanding of the presented material.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure Statement

The author(s) have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1A
Figure 1A
Anterior-posterior (AP) radiograph of a left knee with mild osteoarthritis (OA; Kellgren and Lawrence Grade 1). The arrow indicates doubtful joint space narrowing and possible osteophytic lipping.
Figure 1B
Figure 1B
AP radiograph of a left knee with moderate OA (Kellgren and Lawrence Grade 2). The arrow indicates definite osteophytes and possible joint space narrowing.
Figure 2A
Figure 2A
Anterior-posterior (AP) radiograph of a left knee with moderate to severe osteoarthritis (OA; Kellgren and Lawrence Grade 3). The arrows indicate multiple osteophytes, definite joint space narrowing, sclerosis, and possible bony deformity.
Figure 2B
Figure 2B
AP radiograph of a left knee with severe OA (Kellgren and Lawrence Grade 4), showing large osteophytes (downward arrow at right), marked joint space narrowing (upward arrow at left), severe bone sclerosis (asterisk), and definite bony deformity in medial tibial plateau.

References

    1. AAOS: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: Evidence-based guideline. 2nd edition. Rosemont, IL: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; 2013. May 18, [Internet] [cited 2016 Oct 10]. Available from: www.aaos.org/research/guidelines/treatmentofosteoarthritisofthekneeguide.... - PubMed
    1. Evaniew N, Simunovic N, Karlsson J. Cochrane in CORR®: Viscosupplementation for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2014 Jul;472(7):2028–34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-013-3378-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Weick JW, Bawa HS, Dirschl DR. Hyaluronic acid injections for treatment of advanced osteoarthritis of the knee: Utilization and cost in a national population sample. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2016 Sep 7;98(17):1429–35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.15.01358. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jüni P, Hari R, Rutjes AW, et al. Intra-articular corticosteroid for knee osteoarthritis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Oct 22;(10):CD005328. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD005328.pub3. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chahla J, Piuzzi NS, Mitchell JJ, et al. Intra-articular cellular therapy for osteoarthritis and focal cartilage defects of the knee: A systematic review of the literature and study quality analysis. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2016 Sep 21;98(18):1511–21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.15.01495. - DOI - PubMed

Substances

LinkOut - more resources