Description

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the number one musculoskeletal disorder in the

developed world and it ranks among the top problems of the health care systems in

developed countries. Osteoarthritis is the most common disorder of the synovial joints

in middle aged and older people (Buckwalter, J. A., Martin, J. A., & Reginster, J. Y.,

2002). Up to 10% of the world population suffers from osteoarthritis, and it has been

estimated that more than 50% of those 50 years of age and over are affected

(Reginster, 2002).

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common disorder of synovial joints (Dieppe and

Lohmander, 2005). It is been increasingly discussed in the healthcare field due to

rising incidence in our aging population. As reiterated by Buckwalter, J. A.,

Martin, J. A., & Reginster, J. Y. (2002), Osteoarthritis is the most common disorder of

the synovial joints in middle aged and older people. This condition is strongly agerelated,

being less common before 40 years, but rising in frequency with age, such

that most people older than 70 years have radiological evidence of Osteoarthritis in

some joints.