Greater rates of cartilage loss in painful knees than in pain‐free knees after adjustment for radiographic disease stage: Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative

Abstract

Knees with frequent pain display greater rates of medial cartilage loss longitudinally than knees without pain, with or without adjustment or stratification for radiographic disease stage. Enrollment of participants with frequent knee pain in clinical trials can increase the observed rate of structural progression (i.e., cartilage loss) and sensitivity to change.