Background

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease; it is a consequence of cartilage degradation. OA may affect several joints, especially weight-bearing joints such as the knees. A joint’s cartilage degradation is clinically rec-ognized by a gradual development of pain, stiffness, and loss of motion. Among the elderly, hip and knee OA causes a greater degree of disability [1]. It is estimated that 9.6 % of men and 18 % of women above 60 years have symptomatic OA primarily in the knees and hips [2]. Therapeutic management of OA of the knee has fo-cused on pain relief, preserving or improving the range of motion and preventing secondary functional disability as well as joint damage. Besides surgery, which is recom-mended for severe cases, there are a wide variety of O