Association between constant and intermittent knee pain and T2 values and cartilage thickness: data from the osteoarthritis initiative
Authors' conclusion
Impaired femoral cartilage composition, indicated by longer T2 values, preceded intermittent knee pain found in early-stage OA. Constant knee pain characteristic for late-stage OA was related to greater cartilage thickness loss.
Study context
- Population
- Osteoarthritis Initiative participants with 3T MRI scans from baseline to 36-month visits1,042(28%) symptomatic knee OA
- Participants
- 3,780 participants
- Outcome
- Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis Pain (ICOAP) scores (intermittent and constant pain) in the right knee (0 to 100 = highest pain)
- Follow-up
- 48 months
Methodological detailslongitudinal, adjusted logistic and linear regression models, deep-learning-based segmentation
- Longitudinal
- Adjusted logistic and linear regression models
- Deep-learning-based segmentation
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Knee pain in the right knee
- Intermittent pain, n (%)
- 1671(44%)
- Constant pain, n (%)
- 265(7%)
- Intermittent pain: OR per 1 ms longer baseline T2, medial femoral cartilage
- 1.05[1.02-1.08] (95%CI)
- Intermittent pain: OR per 1 ms longer baseline T2, lateral femoral cartilage
- 1.06[1.03-1.09] (95%CI)
- Intermittent pain: OR per 1 mm thicker baseline patellar cartilage
- 0.65[0.53-0.81] (95%CI)
- Constant pain: OR per 1 mm/yr greater annual patellar cartilage thinning
- 93.4[7.66-1139] (95%CI)
- Among those with knee pain, intermittent pain: percent change per 1 ms/yr greater increase in medial tibial cartilage T2
- 8.02[2.87-13.4] (95%CI)
- Among those with knee pain, intermittent pain: percent change per 1 ms/yr greater increase in lateral tibial cartilage T2
- 7.85[3.39-12.5] (95%CI)
- Among those with knee pain, constant pain: beta coeff. per 1 mm thicker baseline lateral tibial cartilage
- −11.8[−19.8-3.76] (95%CI)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Association between constant and intermittent knee pain and T2 values and cartilage thickness: data from the osteoarthritis initiative. Arthritis Res Ther. Published 22 October 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →