Understanding Osteoarthritis from Bench to Bedside Editors

Arthritis and related conditions comprise a large group of disorders that affect the joints, ligaments, tendons, bones and other components of the musculoskeletal system. Arthritic diseases are debilitating illnesses that cause disabling pain and most of the rheumatic diseases involve stiffening and progressive destruction of the joint resulting in functional decline. The increasing burden of bone and joint disorders on patients and health care systems led to the establishment of the Bone and Joint Decade launched in the year 2000. Now, at the close of the decade, one of the conclusions reached from this program is that research remains the most efficient means of tackling these diseases and reducing their medical and financial impact. Osteoarthritis is a main concern for this program endorsing the need for this major musculoskeletal disease to be better recognized and understood, and the magnitude of its health consequences more fully documented. Osteoarthritis is the most common musculoskeletal disease, affectin