Subchondral bone marrow lesions associated with knee osteoarthritis.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent condition typically measured by the level of joint space thinning. However, it has been shown that the degree of joint space narrowing correlates poorly with the incidence and magnitude of knee pain. A review of recent and past literature suggests that chronic bone marrow edema (BME) or bone marrow lesions may be linked to pain, the progression of cartilage damage, and the acceleration of joint degeneration. The literature further provides strong support that chronic BME may be an additional target for treatment. This case study has shown that a treatment to repair BME by restoring support and relieving abnormal stresses with accepted internal fixation and bone stimulating surgical techniques is effective in relieving knee OA pain. The literature review and case study herein are provided as a basis for the treatment of chronic BME as an important addition to the current knee OA treatment paradigm.