Osteoarthritis (OA) afflicts more than 20 million people in the United States and about 10% of
adults over the age of 50 years [1]. It has been demonstrated that 2.0% of women and 1.4%
of men per year develop radiographic OA, although only approximately half of these cases
lead to symptomatic disease [2]. OA is one of the leading causes of disability and
dysfunction in the elderly population [3]; it has been estimated that the total cost for arthritis,
including OA, is over 2% of the United States gross domestic product [4]. In end-stage …