1 Introduction Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent chronic joint disease, characterised by progressive cartilage degeneration, structural joint changes, and inflammation, that leads to pain and reduced mobility (Focht 2012; Lopes et al. 2023; Mesci et al. 2015). It is estimated that approximately 654 million people worldwide are affected by knee OA (Cui et al. 2020). Notably, a significant proportion of these patients are of active working age, with over half under the age of 65.
