The annual cost of treatment of patients with OA with non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs in the UK is £19.2million.2 The direct healthcare costs of patients with OA are more than twice those of similar patients without the condition in the USA.3 OA of the knee is the
most common type.1 Treatment is focused on symptoms using pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies such as anti-inflammatory drugs,4 occupational therapy,5 exercise programmes 6 and
acupuncture.7