Primary Care Reports – June 1, 2013
June 1, 2013
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Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) can be described as the failed repair of damage that has been caused by excessive mechanical stress (defined as force/unit area) on joint tissues.1 This implies that although multiple factors may lead to OA, mechanical impact (either as a major single event or as repetitive micro trauma) is central to all of these, and that the sequence of events that ensues represents the intrinsic repair process, which may either fail or be successful in restoring joint function. Also known as osteoarthrosis or degenerative joint disease, OA is the most important chronic musculoskeletal disorder in both humans and horses.