Decreasing Trends in Arthroscopic Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis After Publication of the 2013 Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Clinical Practice Guidelines

Kent Kern; Jayson Murray; Antonia Chen; Yale Fillingham; Benjamin Miller; Karl Roberts

doi:10.5435/JAAOSGlobal-D-25-00203

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Decreasing Trends in Arthroscopic Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis After Publication of the 2013 Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Clinical Practice Guidelines

Journal article

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Decreasing Trends in Arthroscopic Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis After Publication of the 2013 Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Clinical Practice Guidelines

Kent Kern, Jayson Murray, Antonia Chen, Yale Fillingham, Benjamin Miller and Karl Roberts

Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews, Vol.9(8), e25.00203

08/01/2025

DOI: 10.5435/JAAOSGlobal-D-25-00203

PMCID: PMC12367021

PMID: 40828984

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Abstract

Introduction:The purpose of this study was to analyze trends in arthroscopic utilization among patients with an isolated diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis (OA) after publication of the 2013 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) regarding nonarthroplasty management of knee OA. The 2013 AAOS CPG recommended strongly against the use of arthroscopy for the treatment of knee OA. Our hypothesis was that rates of arthroscopic utilization would decrease after publication of the CPG.Methods:Analysis was conducted using the International Business Machines (IBM) MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Supplemental Databases from 2012 to 2019, which contain healthcare data for more than 43.6 million individuals. This study included patients aged 21 years or older who underwent knee arthroscopy for the isolated diagnosis of knee OA without concomitant pathology.Results:The overall rate of arthroscopic intervention was 59.15 per 1000 patients in 2012 and decreased by 14.91 points to 44.24 per 1000 patients in 2019. This equates to an average decrease of 4.0% year over year from 2012 to 2019, with an overall decrease of 25.2%. The 40-49, 50-59, and 60-69 age groups demonstrated a decrease of 41.5%, 37.2%, and 35.9%, respectively, from 2012 to 2019. Over the same period, there was increased utilization of physical therapy and corticosteroid injections and decrease in viscosupplementation injections.Discussion:This analysis demonstrates a change in practice trends after publication of the 2013 AAOS CPG. Both overall and age cohort-specific arthroscopic utilization rates consistently decreased year over year for all cohorts in accordance with the publication of the 2013 AAOS CPG.

Details

Title: Subtitle: Decreasing Trends in Arthroscopic Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis After Publication of the 2013 Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Clinical Practice Guidelines
Creators: Kent Kern
Jayson Murray
Antonia Chen
Yale Fillingham
Benjamin Miller
Karl Roberts
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews, Vol.9(8), e25.00203
DOI: 10.5435/JAAOSGlobal-D-25-00203
PMID: 40828984
PMCID: PMC12367021
NLM abbreviation: J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev
ISSN: 2474-7661
eISSN: 2474-7661
Publisher: Wolters Kluwer
Grant note: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (https://doi.org/10.13039/100009885)
Language: English
Date published: 08/01/2025
Academic Unit: Orthopedics and Rehabilitation
Record Identifier: 9984948002102771

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