LAUSR

As the projected growth of the aging population continues to rise, more and more adults are affected by degenerative orthopedic conditions. Osteoarthritis is the most common degenerative joint disease and can lead to pain and functional deficits that affect quality of life. Initial management includes weight loss, exercise, oral analgesic and anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy, corticosteroid and hyaluronic acid injections. Many patients continue to remain symptomatic even after conservative treatments are exhausted. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is the current accepted treatment of choice for symptomatic knee OA that has not responded to traditional conservative therapies. There are approximately 700,000 TKAs performed annually within the United States. Of particular concern is the rising incidence of TKAs in individuals between 40 and 50 years of age.1 Additionally, it is estimated that the number of annual total knee revision operations performed annually will grow by over 600% between 2005 and 2030.1 In addition, these surgeries are not without complications and as many as 19% of patients continue to have knee pain and other problems following TKA.2 Significant complications such as infections, pulmonary embolism, and death are rare but remain a concern for patients.3 Regenerative medicine treatments such as platelet rich plasma, bone marrow aspirate, and adipose derived mesenchymal stem