Grading of Knee Osteoarthritis Based on Kellgren-Lawrence Classification and Finding an Association Between Radiographic Features and Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study at a Tertiary Health Care Hospital

Introduction: Osteoarthritis leads to painful joints, disability, restriction of ambulation, and reduces the person's ability to perform activities of daily living. Pain is one of the major symptoms of osteoarthritis. Some patients presented with severe pain while some with severe deformity. Method: Patients presenting with complaints of knee pain were screened. Written consent was taken from the patient. Radiographic data was collected and these patients were also shown the visual analogue scale (VAS) and asked to rate their pain. Further, the weight-bearing radiographs of both knees of patients in anteroposterior, lateral, and skyline views were also taken. The radiographs were evaluated using the Kellgren-Lawrence classification to determine the grade of osteoarthritis. Results: For this study, radiographs of 116 patients (48 males (42%), 68 females (58%)) with knee OA who were eligible were included. The prevalence of the disease was highest among patients in the age group 51-60 years. The prevalence of bilateral knee osteoarthritis was observed in 98 patients (86.2%) and that of unilateral in 16 patients (13.8%). The prevalence of associated pain was comparatively higher in females than in males. Conclusion: This study found there is no significant correlation between VAS pain score and the severity of radiological grading. Hence treatment should be tailored according to symptoms and not just the X-ray findings.