Prevalence of Coexisting Lumbar Spondylosis and Knee Osteoarthritis on the rise

In patients with either knee osteoarthritis (KOA) or lumbar spondylosis (LS), the odds of having a concurrent knee-spine presentation are significantly increased. This may have implications for clinical decision-making and treatment regimes.

In 2018, a study estimated that 266 million individuals worldwide suffered from lumbar degenerative diseases, whereas it was estimated that 654.1 million persons suffered from KOA. However, recent studies suggest that LS and KOA are risk factors for one another because of the compensatory adjustments in weightbearing and posture in response to the disruption of the body’s mechanical alignment. In fact, both conditions can coexist in a single patient, with worse clinical and surgical outcomes in LS patients who undergo knee surgery. The prevalence of coexisting LS and KOA has clinical implications on the screening, diagnosis, and management of orthopedic patients.

The rising trend of ageing populations and increasing prevalence of obesity suggest that the number of affected patients is likely to increase substantially. Thus, there is a need to elucidate the true association between LS and KOA, as well as quantify the extent of their association.

Betzler et al conducted a meta-analysis of nine studies consisting of 5,758 patients. They found that the odds ratio of having KOA due to LS was 1.75, while the combined odds ratio of having LS due to KOA was 1.84, which was significantly high.