Associations of Anatomical Measures from MRI with Radiographically Defined Knee Osteoarthritis Score, Pain, and Physical Functioning

Is Weight Loss Associated with Less Progression of Changes in Knee Articular Cartilage among Obese and Overweight Patients as Assessed with MR Imaging over 48 Months? Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative

“…In addition, weight loss seems to decrease the production of proinflammatory adipocytokines, which contribute to meniscal and cartilage degeneration. However, additional studies analyzing the serologic and biomechanical effects of weight loss are needed to further investigate these mechanisms (10,62).…”

Pathologic and Pathogenic Processes in Osteoarthritis: The Effects of Synovitis

“…Consistent with the imaging studies, Ishijima et al demonstrated that a systemic biomarker of synovial inflammation (sHA) is also associated with increased pain in patients with osteoarthritis [5]. Others have demonstrated that osteoarthritis patients with moderate to marked synovitis have decreased functional capacity measured objectively by timed walking and stair climbing [13]. Furthermore, when defined either by MRI [10] or intra-operative appearance at arthroscopy [2], synovial inflammation was associated with more rapid progression of cartilage degeneration.…”

Surgery versus Physical Therapy for Meniscal Tear and Osteoarthritis

“…1 Meniscal tears are also highly prevalent, with imaging evidence of a meniscal tear observed in 35% of persons older than 50 years of age; two thirds of these tears are asymptomatic. 2 Meniscal damage is especially prevalent among persons with osteoarthritis 3,4 and is frequently treated surgically with arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. This procedure, in which the surgeon trims the torn meniscus back to a stable rim, is performed for a range of indications in more than 465,000 persons annually in the United States.…”