Early osteoarthritis (EOA) is a critical window for identifying at risk individuals and implementing prevention and early management before irreversible joint damage occurs. With population ageing and rising musculoskeletal disability, early osteoarthritis is an increasing public health concern, yet global research patterns and thematic priorities have not been comprehensively mapped.

Publications on early osteoarthritis from 1995 to 2025 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). Bibliometric and visualization analyses were performed using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, Bibliometrix in R, and an online bibliometric platform to assess publication trends, contributing countries and institutions, journals, authors, co cited references, keywords, and research hotspots.

We identified 386 publications involving 2,064 researchers from 190 institutions across 51 countries/regions, published in 194 journals. Annual output rose steadily after 2010. The United States (103, 26.68%), China (65, 16.84%), and Japan (43, 11.14%) led in productivity, but international collaboration showed regional disparities. Boston University was the most productive institution (n=19), with clustered institutional partnerships. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage ranked first in publication count (n=28) and co-citation frequency (n=314). Madry H was the most prolific author (n=10), and the classic paper on the “radiological assessment of osteo-arthrosis” was the most co-cited reference (n=84). Keyword analysis showed a shift from cartilage structural assessment and knee osteoarthritis toward inflammatory mechanisms, biomarkers, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, highlighting growing focus on early identification, risk stratification, and prevention oriented management.

Over the past three decades, EOA research has undergone a substantial transition from morphology centered assessment to multidisciplinary approaches emphasizing early identification, prevention, and management. From a public health perspective, current research trends highlight the growing potential of biomarkers and intelligent analytics to support population level screening and early risk stratification. However, persistent imbalances in global collaboration and the lack of unified definitions and classification criteria remain major challenges. Future research should prioritize international collaboration, data sharing, and consensus building to facilitate the development of scalable, population relevant strategies for early identification, prevention, and management of EOA.