Osteoarthritis of the knee is a degenerative condition that is commonty seen in the elderly population and sometimes occurs earlier in the athletic population. Pain and stiffness are common features, which can be debilitating. Clinical assessment of the knee joint requires consideration of its associated muscles, ligaments, tendons, bursae and menisci. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of knee pain assessment, to discuss the diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis, and to review some evidence-based management options. Knee osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition that is characterised by progressive articular cartilage loss and remodelling of subchon-dral bone. It affects 27% of women and 21% of men, with an increase in incidence for both groups from the age of 45 years (Pereira et al., 2011). Painful knee osteoarthritis associated with mild-to-moderate disability affects up to 10% of adults over the age of 55 years, accounting for 0.5% of primary care consultations in this age group, rising to 1% for those aged over 70 years (Peat, McCarney, & Croft, 2001). Early onset knee osteoarthritis can also present in the young athletic population, due to repetitive impact loading on the articular cartilage and sports-related knee injuries (Amoako & Pujalte, 2014).
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