Osteoarthritis, the most prevalent form of arthritis, is a leading cause of chronic disability worldwide and a major public health issue. Here, internationally renowned authors, from multiple specialties, analyze, dissect and provide a comprehensive update on this disease. They address both funda-mental and clinical aspects, including nonpharmacological and current and future pharmacological therapies, as well as the new paradigms for disease management, guidelines, clinical practice and benchmarking. Surgical procedures, in-cluding their risks and benefits, are discussed, as are other dimensions of the disease such as the role of genetic factors and their influence on and clinical relevance to the disease process, biomarkers for diagnosis and alternative medicine. This comprehensive up-to-date overview will interest a wide audience, including physicians, epidemiologists, scientists and graduate students.