ABSTRACT
One of the most common conditions that family physicians and other primary care providers face in clinical practice is degenerative joint disease (DJD) or, commonly known as, osteoarthritis (OA). DJD accounts for one of the greatest causes of disability, loss of productivity, suffering, health decline and social isolation in our society. This chapter presents emerging treatments for the underlying causes of osteoarthritis. Synovitis' role in the progression of symptoms and structural changes in osteoarthritis provides an important therapeutic focus. The diagnosis of OA remains clinical and may be made without radiographic or laboratory investigations. Functional Medicine is a personalized, systems-oriented model that empowers patients and practitioners to achieve the highest expression of health by working in collaboration to address the underlying causes of what we call disease. Platelets are known to contain microvesicles and exosomes which are reservoirs of a multitude of growth factors essential for the regenerative processes in humans.
