Associations between MRI-defined structural pathology and generalized and localized knee pain – the Oulu Knee Osteoarthritis study

ObjectiveTo determine the associations between multi-feature structural pathology assessed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the presence of knee pain, and to determine the associations between the locations of structural changes and different knee pain patterns.MethodEighty symptomatic subjects with knee pain and suspicion or diagnosis of knee OA and 63 asymptomatic subjects underwent knee MRI. Severity of structural changes was graded by MRI Osteoarthritis Knee Score (MOAKS) in separate knee locations. The associations between cartilage damage, bone marrow lesions (BMLs), osteophytes, Hoffa's synovitis, effusion-synovitis, meniscal damage and structural pathologies in ligaments, tendons and bursas and both the presence of pain and the knee pain patterns were assessed.ResultsThe presence of Hoffa's synovitis (adjusted RR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2–1.3) and osteophytes in any region (2.07, 1.19–3.60) was significantly associated with the presence of pain. Any Hoffa's synovitis was associated with patellar pain (adjusted RR 4.70, 95% CI 1.19–3.60) and moderate-to-severe Hoffa's synovitis with diffuse pain (2.25, 1.13–4.50). Medial knee pain was associated with cartilage loss in the medial tibia (adjusted RR 2.66, 95% CI 1.22–5.80), osteophytes in the medial tibia (2.66, 1.17–6.07) and medial femur (2.55, 1.07–6.09), medial meniscal maceration (2.20, 1.01–4.79) and anterior meniscal extrusions (2.78, 1.14–6.75).ConclusionsHoffa's synovitis and osteophytes were strongly associated with the presence of knee pain. Medial pain was associated most often with medially located structural pathologies.