Early OA: point of no return or a chance for regenerative approaches

Osteoarthritis is one of the main burdens of the twenty-first century. It is associated with both the functional impairment of patients and enormous treatment costs for the healthcare system. For this reason, the diagnosis of “osteoarthritis”offers immense potential for cost reductions for healthcare providers by narrowing the therapeutic spectrum. It appears that they favour—in our view, too early—end-stage therapy with the implantation of heavy metal in joints. Cost reductions can actually be achieved by healthcare providers by cutting reimbursements for conservative treatment and regenerative treatment approaches.