Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis, is generally characterized by a slowly progressive degeneration of articular cartilage, particularly in the weight-bearing joints. It has a stronger prevalence in women, and its incidence increases with age. OA is a major and growing health concern in developed countries, owing to steadily increasing life expectancy and the demand for better quality of life. Because of its chronic nature and nonfatal outcome, OA affects the growing population of the elderly over an increasing time span. Moreover, despite its relatively benign character, OA is one of the most disabling diseases; it is responsible for increasing financial and social burdens in terms of medical treatments, forced inactivity, loss of mobility, and dependence. Despite a growing awareness of OA as a medical problem that has yet to reach its maximum impact on society, there is a surprising absence of effective medical treatments beyond pain control and surgery. So far, only symptom-modifying drugs are available, while there remains a major demand for disease-modifying treatments of proven clinical efficacy. This demand will hopefully be met in the future by some of the drugs that have been pressed into development and are now at different stages of clinical investigation. Nevertheless, the current lack of effective treatments reflects a still insufficient knowledge of cartilage with respect to its metabolism, interactions with other joint tissues, and causes and mechanisms (possibly of very different nature) leading to failure of its turnover.

An authoritative investigation of the sources andtreatment of osteoarthritic joint pain Millions of people throughout the world suffer from osteoarthritis (OA)—a medical condition causing its sufferers excruciating pain that is often disabling. This is the first book to offer clinicians an in-depth understanding of the biological sources of osteoarthritic pain and how they can be treated. Here, a team of leading international authorities has contributed state-of-the-art information on: The Neuroscience of Articular Pain—spinal and peripheral mechanisms of joint pain; experimental models for the study of osteoarthritic pain; inflammatory mediators and nociception in arthritis; phantoms in rheumatology; and more Osteoarthritis and Pain—joint mechanisms and neuromuscular aspects of OA; bone pain and pressure in OA joints; structural correlates of OA pain; and more Treatment of Osteoarthritic Pain—general approaches to treatment; treatments targeting pain receptors; treatments targeting biomechanical abnormalities; and treatments targeting inflammation Whether you're a medical professional, researcher, student, or a generalist or specialist focusing on pain or arthritis, this is your one-stop reference for understanding and treating joint pain in osteoarthritis.

Covers the causes and symptoms of arthritis; offers tips on pain control, diet, and exercise; and describes such treatment options as medications, surgical procedures, and alternative therapies.

Musculoskeletal diseases are rapidly becoming a major health concern. The incidence of osteoarthritis, the most common arthritic disorder, is increasing steadily due to the graying of the world population. This disease is responsible of human life, a time in for significant morbidity, particularly in the second half which the quality of life is of primary importance. The aim of this publication is to bring to physicians and scientists a comprehensive overview of the field, from molecules to men. The direct costs related to osteoarthritis have been increasing steadily over the years and will soon be comparable to those of other major illnesses, such as cardiovascular diseases. This, of course, does not take into account all of the other costs related to the disease which often cannot be simply calculated in dollars and cents. There has been a great deal of renewed interest in osteoarthritis in the last few decades. This has been brought on by the need to improve our knowledge of all aspects of the disease, especially with regard to its etiopathogenesis and treatment. The most recent findings and developments on the structural, bio chemical, biomechanical and molecular changes observed in clinical and ex perimental osteoarthritis are presented in this book.

This comprehensive reference on total knee arthroplasty describes all surgical techniques and prosthetic designs for primary and revision arthroplasty, discusses every aspect of patient selection, preoperative planning, and intraoperative and postoperative care.

This open access book focuses on imaging of the musculoskeletal diseases. Over the last few years, there have been considerable advances in this area, driven by clinical as well as technological developments. The authors are all internationally renowned experts in their field. They are also excellent teachers, and provide didactically outstanding chapters. The book is disease-oriented and covers all relevant imaging modalities, with particular emphasis on magnetic resonance imaging. Important aspects of pediatric imaging are also included. IDKD books are completely re-written every four years. As a result, they offer a comprehensive review of the state of the art in imaging. The book is clearly structured with learning objectives, abstracts, subheadings, tables and take-home points, supported by design elements to help readers easily navigate through the text. As an IDKD book, it is particularly valuable for general radiologists, radiology residents, and interventional radiologists who want to update their diagnostic knowledge, and for clinicians interested in imaging as it relates to their specialty.

A strong clinical emphasis is present throughout this volume from the first section of commonly presenting problems through to the section addressing problems shared with a range of other clinical sub-specialties.