Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common musculoskeletal disorder in the U.S. with an incident rate ranging from 14 to 30 million. Overall annual arthritis-related medical expenditures are nearly $140 million, and hip and knee OA together are the 11th highest contributor to global disability. When diagnosed at early stages, lifestyle interventions such as exercise and weight loss can slow OA progression, but at later stages, only total knee replacement (TKR), an invasive option and elective procedure, is available.
In the U.S., estimates of TKR incidence lie at 400,000 each year, a figure expected to grow 143 percent by 2050. TKR is one of the most effective procedures in orthopedic surgery, but electing for it is not straightforward, nor is it a perfect procedure. Only 66 percent of patients report feeling “normal” and 33 percent report some degree of pain post implant. As…
