Osteoarthritis (OA) is becoming recognized as a significant cause of lost productivity in the human population. OA is a progressive condition in which the articular cartilage is slowly eroded and the surrounding bone reacts by producing osteophytes which thicken the joint and frequently result in restriction of the range of movement of the joint. The major problem with OA is that most cases are not diagnosed until the end stage of these pathological processes is reached so that the treatment options are limited to suppression of the clinical signs (particularly pain) by the use of analgesics or surgical salvage procedures such as arthrodesis, excision arthroplasty or joint replacement.
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