Question
Do i have to get surgery if i have Bone Marrow Edema in the knee?
Answer
No, not necessarily or not at all. Bone marrow “edema” is a finding on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that could signify several things – 1) true edema or fluid in the bone 2) inflammation in the bone; 3) fatty infiltration of the bone. Many times the ‘edema’ is reversible – that is, it will get better on its own. One study shows that – if you have rheumatoid arthritis – that ‘edema’ precedes destruction of the bone. We don’t fully understand these lesions yet. Our technology (MRI) is ahead of our understanding of the cause and implications of the finding.
