I have been working on and thinking about knee OA for decades.
FACT: There is a gaping hole in treatment options for many middle-aged patients with knee OA.
Case in point: a 48-year-old weekend warrior, knees aching after a pickup soccer game, X-rays showing early cartilage wear, and a nagging limp that's stealing their prime years. They walk into an ortho clinic expecting options, only to hear, "You're too old for the fancy biologics, but way too young for a total knee replacement."
Sound familiar?
It's not just anecdotal—it's a systemic treatment gap that's leaving millions sidelined.
Let's start with the numbers, because in orthopedics, data doesn't lie.
Knee OA affects at least 19% of American adults over 45, with prevalence climbing steadily from 7% in men and 10% in women aged 40-49 to much higher rates by their 60s.
Globally, the knee bears the brunt of OA's burden, impacting 365 million people, and the incidence peaks right in that 55-64 sweet spot.
Over half of all OA diagnoses happen in folks under 65, meaning this isn't some golden-years problem—it's hitting the workforce, the parents, the active middle class hard.
These patients aren't bedridden; they're dealing...
