Osteoarthritis: ABFM practice questions

6 board-style questions on osteoarthritis in the PulseMD family medicine question bank, written against current guidelines with the reference cited on each question. Two free samples below; the full set with answers, explanations, and spaced review is free to start.

Sample question 1

A 62-year-old overweight woman (BMI 32 kg/m2) presents with bilateral knee pain that has worsened over the past year. The pain is worse with activity and improves with rest. She has morning stiffness lasting about 15 minutes. X-rays show joint space narrowing and osteophytes in both knees. She has no history of inflammatory arthritis. What is the most appropriate initial treatment approach?

1. Start oral prednisone 10 mg daily for inflammation
2. Recommend weight loss, regular low-impact exercise, and trial of acetaminophen
3. Refer for bilateral total knee arthroplasty
4. Prescribe celecoxib 200 mg daily as first-line therapy

Sample question 2

A 68-year-old man with bilateral knee osteoarthritis has been managing his symptoms with acetaminophen 1000 mg three times daily and regular walking, but his pain has progressively worsened and now limits his daily activities. He has a history of stage 3 CKD (eGFR 38 mL/min) and a prior GI bleed from an NSAID-related gastric ulcer 2 years ago. His BMI is 28 kg/m2. What is the most appropriate next step in pharmacologic management?

1. Add glucosamine and chondroitin supplementation
2. Start tramadol 50 mg every 6 hours as needed
3. Prescribe topical diclofenac gel to the affected knees
4. Switch to celecoxib 200 mg daily with a proton pump inhibitor

Create a free PulseMD account to answer these, see the explanations, and practice five minutes a day.

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