Symptomatic bone marrow lesions induced by reduced bone mineral density in middle-aged women: a cross-sectional Japanese population study

Abstract Background The etiology of bone marrow lesions (BMLs) without knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and their association with bone fragility are unclear. We aimed to investigate the association between BMLs, bone mineral density (BMD), and bone markers in women without radiographic evidence of KOA. Methods This single-center cross-sectional study in a Japanese population included 266 women without radiographic evidence of KOA, which was defined as a Kellgren-Lawrence grade