Noisy knee joints may be an early sign of knee osteoarthritis

People who hear popping, grating or cracking sounds in or around their knees may have a higher risk of developing knee osteoarthritis, says research in Arthritis Care & Research.

Data from nearly 3,500 people who were at high risk of developing knee osteoarthritis was analysed. Over 75% of people who developed knee osteoarthritis within a year had signs of osteoarthritis on radiographic images but no frequent knee pain at the start of the study.

“Many people who have signs of osteoarthritis on x-rays do not necessarily complain of pain, and there are no known strategies for preventing the development of pain in this group of people,” says lead author Dr Grace Lo. “This study suggests that if these people have noisy knees, they are at higher risk for developing pain within the next year compared with the people who do not have noisy knees. Future studies that target people who have x-ray signs of osteoarthritis, and who do not complain of pain but do report noisy knees, hold the promise of identifying interventions that can prevent knee pain.”

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