There is a high incidence of knee OA in patients who have previously suffered an ACL/meniscus injury.

There is a high incidence of knee OA in patients who have previously suffered an ACL/meniscus injury.

• A. False
• B. Not associated
• C. Only after age 70
• D. True

Answer: (D)

The main idea is that knee osteoarthritis commonly follows traumatic injuries to the knee such as an ACL rupture or a meniscal tear. When the knee is injured, there’s often cartilage damage, meniscal loss, and instability that alter how the joint loads and moves. These changes accelerate cartilage wear over years, so the risk of developing OA is higher compared with knees that haven’t had such injuries. Even after treatment or reconstruction, the degenerative process can continue, so OA may develop earlier than in uninjured knees and remains a well-recognized outcome after ACL or meniscal injuries. That’s why the statement is true. It isn’t just an age-related issue, and it isn’t negligible or unrelated—the connection between prior ACL/meniscal injury and later OA is well established.

The main idea is that knee osteoarthritis commonly follows traumatic injuries to the knee such as an ACL rupture or a meniscal tear. When the knee is injured, there’s often cartilage damage, meniscal loss, and instability that alter how the joint loads and moves. These changes accelerate cartilage wear over years, so the risk of developing OA is higher compared with knees that haven’t had such injuries. Even after treatment or reconstruction, the degenerative process can continue, so OA may develop earlier than in uninjured knees and remains a well-recognized outcome after ACL or meniscal injuries. That’s why the statement is true. It isn’t just an age-related issue, and it isn’t negligible or unrelated—the connection between prior ACL/meniscal injury and later OA is well established.