Osteoarthritis is the most common chronic condition affecting patients over the age of 70
It is estimated that in adultsover the of 30 up 6% of adults are syumptomatic of knee arthritis and around 3% are symptomatic of hip arthritis the prevalence of ostoarthritis increases with age and with an aging population the effect of thisdisease will represent an ever-increasing burden on health care
Osteoarthritis of the hip and kenn is the most commom cause of difficulty in walking It has a huge impact on the economy with adsence from work and early retirement exceeding 2%of the gross domestic produt It is estimated that over 1 million total hip replacements are performed worldwide each year and in the united states alone it is predicted that between 1995 and 2020 an additional 19 million people a year will be affected by arthritis