- 6.00pm, Tuesday 5 December
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of pain and disability. OA also seems to be associated with several myths and misconceptions about how it is caused and how it might be managed. Many people in the community simply believe that osteoarthritis is a consequence of getting older. Others believe that the joint has no capacity for repair and some have suggested that we should just use treatments widely used for other inflammatory rheumatic diseases.
These misconceptions have consequences both in terms of language that is used – with terms such as “wear and tear”, osteoarthrosis, and degenerative joint disease being widely used but notoriously inaccurate descriptors of this disease.
This presentation will attempt to bust some of these myths and provide some clarity on how the disease should be understood and managed.
Guest Speaker: Professor David Hunter is a rheumatologist clinician-researcher whose primary research focus is clinical and translational research in osteoarthritis. He is ranked as the leading expert in the world on osteoarthritis on expertscape.com, is the section editor for UpToDate osteoarthritis, the Editor in Chief for Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, and has over 600 publications in peer-reviewed journals. He is co-Director of Sydney Musculoskeletal Health and leads the osteoarthritis team at the Kolling Institute who are dedicated to improving our understanding of osteoarthritis and the quality of life for those who suffer from this prevalent disabling disease.