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Knee osteoarthritis is a prevalent and disabling condition that impacts activities of daily living, participation in work and family roles, and overall quality of life. With population growth and ageing, an increasing number of Australians are living with knee osteoarthritis (over 1.9 million people in 2019, representing 126% growth relative to 1990 numbers). National estimates indicate that knee osteoarthritis is associated with over 59 000 years lived with disability annually, exceeding the disability burden of dementia, stroke or ischaemic heart disease. 

Knee osteoarthritis also has a major economic impact in Australia, with over $3.5 billion spent annually on osteoarthritis‐related hospital admissions and an estimated productivity loss of $424 billion. International clinical guidelines consistently recommend non‐surgical modalities as the mainstay of knee osteoarthritis management, with referral for consideration of joint replacement surgery reserved for people with late‐stage disease. Concerningly, low value care (care that is wasteful, ineffective and/or harmful) persists across the knee osteoarthritis journey. This is often fuelled by misconceptions about osteoarthritis, including inaccurate beliefs around diagnosis and management, that are amenable to change through education and effective communication.

This MJA Editorial shares more.

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Authors: Ilana N Ackerman, Fiona Doukas, Rachelle Buchbinder, Sally Dooley, Wendy Favorito, Phoebe Holdenson Kimura, David J Hunter, James Linklater, John B North, Louise Elvin‐Walsh, Christopher Vertullo, Alice L Bhasale and Samantha Bunzli

Article Type: Editorial