Lateral Knee Joint Space in Adults by Digital Radiography and Its Relationship with Some Biosocial Factors

Background: The knee is the joint where the bones of the lower and upper legs meet. It is one of the weights bearing hinge joint of the body which comprises of two condylar joints. Radiographic technique may be highly useful not only for the evaluation of the knee cartilage but also for the determination of early knee cartilage degeneration abnormalities. Methods: During the course of a year, from July 2023 to June 2024, 190 adult patients who were undergoing treatment in the outpatient department of Radiology and Imaging at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, Rajshahi, participated in this cross-sectional descriptive study. SPSS software (version 26.0) was used to analyze the data. Results: The mean right lateral JSW was 4.68±0.21 mm and left lateral JSW was 4.47±0.11 mm. There was statistically significant relationship of right lateral knee joint space width with age (p < 0.01) and BMI (p < 0.05). On the other hand, left lateral knee joint space width was significantly related with residential status (p < 0.05) and BMI (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The main technique for determining joint space width is plain radiography. The assessment of knee joint space by radiography may be the best way to track changes in joint space width, which would be useful for treatment process planning.