Pouvons-nous prévenir l’arthrose ?

Considering the high prevalence and imposing social-economic burden of osteoarthritis, its prevention prevails as the backbone of the management. The prevention hinders the onset (primary prevention) and slows down the progression (secondary and tertiary prevention) of the disease. It includes pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments and clinical, biological and/or radiological screening techniques. We have chosen to review available primary and secondary/tertiary preventives measures for knee and hip osteoarthritis. The primary prevention will address mainly modifiable risk factors including the choice and the intensity of the physical activity, traumas, overweight, metabolic abnormalities, misalignment, and dysplasia. Concerning the secondary and/or tertiary prevention, we will discuss early screening techniques including diagnostic imaging and biomarkers, non-pharmacological therapeutics as weight loss, physical activity, diet or braces and pharmacological therapeutics as “slow acting parenteral anti-osteoarthritis treatments”, intraarticular injections, and surgeries. One must bear in mind that to date, no single treatment measure has proven a structural efficacy against established osteoarthritis hence the tremendous role of primary prevention in osteoarthritis management.