Trends in knee magnetic resonance imaging, arthroscopies and joint replacements in older Australians: still too much low-value care?

Knee arthroscopy rates increased before declining modestly in more recent years, most likely in response to evidence against its effectiveness. Knee MRI rates have continued to increase despite consistent recommendations against their routine use in the evaluation of knee pain. Future research could investigate potential drivers of the increased use of MRI, and of the continued use of arthroscopy. Further exploration of the extent to which either procedure explains the increase in numbers of knee joint replacements is also warranted.