Seung-Suk Seo - A Strategic Approach to Knee Arthritis Treatment: From Non-Pharmacologic Management to Surgery

This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore

It is a great challenge and hard to write a book in English for Korean scholars. I sincerely congratulate Dr. Seung-Suk Seo on the publication of this book through continuous research and efforts with a passion for academics, even in the midst of being busy treating patients.

The knee joint is one of the most studied and mentioned topics in orthopedic surgery. The knee joint is a specialized structure that supports repetitive loads and enables joint movement by reducing friction. It is built by the physiological conditions of articular cartilage and cellular matrix. Also, the knee joint is a complex and complicated structure, and is the structure with the most to do.

This book deals with osteoarthritis of the knee joint that is one of the most common and important knee joint disease. Due to the gradual aging of the population, osteoarthritis of the knee joint is more frequent, especially in developed countries. Therefore, proper diagnosis and treatment of knee osteoarthritis is an important responsibility for general physicians, rheumatologists, and orthopedic surgeons. Many books on knee arthritis have already been published. This book contains all the basic and practical, up-to-date knowledge of knee osteoarthritis, from the basics of the knee, such as the anatomy and biomechanics of the knee, the structure and function of articular cartilage and meniscus, to the diagnosis and various treatments of arthritis. In particular, a number of visual illustrations were added appropriately to complement the text and enhance understanding. In addition, in order to provide the evidence-based and most modern view on knee arthritis, the authors opinion and many influential references have been reviewed.

This book was made with continuous inspection and efforts for many days, with the dedication of well-versed authorities and competent young doctors in the field of knee joints. Thanks to all the doctors who have contributed to this book. Their dedication will be a good guide for the numerous trainees, clinicians studying, and treating knee osteoarthritis. Special thanks to Dr. Seung-Suk Seo for collecting and revising all the texts. He is one of the best, most delicate, and academically outstanding doctors of many orthopedic surgeons I have ever seen. His leadership has undoubtedly led to the publication of a great book.

The medicine is advancing day by day. The knee joint is no exception. I am sure this book will be a good guide to treating osteoarthritis in the knee and will be a stable and lasting reference for the next few years. I hope this book will be of great help to all doctors who treat knee arthritis.

Finally, if the book does not flow like water, it rots and disappears. Do not settle for this. I hope that a more complete revision comes out by supplementing any missing or updated parts.

The diagnosis and treatment of arthritis of the knee has various treatment methods as well as a long history. Now, when the worlds knowledge is connected through the Internet, many of these treatment methods are introduced through papers or books. The pace of development of treatment has accelerated over time, and a vast amount of research is being updated even now. Knowledge of these treatment methods is also open to patients, so patients who search for a treatment for their disease ask a doctor for the treatment they searched for or ask more deeply about the treatment. Mastering all of the new treatments is practically difficult and the selection of treatment is hard. In order to choose the right treatment, it is necessary to understand the pathology and progression of degenerative arthritis of the knee and to classify the mechanisms and effects of various treatment methods.

The editor of this book, whom I have known for a long time, is an orthopedic specialist who has been treating patients with knee joint disease for more than 30 years while actively conducting academic activities such as serving as president of the Korean Knee Society. He is probably one of those who can explain the diagnosis and treatment of degenerative knee arthritis well. This book goes beyond simply recording the authors experiences and observations and is the result of organizing them on a theoretical basis concretely and systematically. This book provides comprehensive information about knee arthritis as well as the latest knowledge on the effects of each of the non-surgical and various surgical treatments. Along with this latest knowledge, the pros and cons of the technique based on the editors extensive clinical experience are clearly described. In addition, detailed illustrations help to understand the anatomy of the knee, the pathology of osteoarthritis, and its exacerbation process.

Knee osteoarthritis has been studied for a long time with various treatments; however, there is still a need for improvement of more effective treatments and basic research. Even treatments within the same category have varying results depending on the dose, technique, and approach, and adverse events have been reported that cannot be ignored. These unorganized variable results may rather confuse doctors trying to treat patients. In this respect, this book, which summarizes the existing knowledge of knee arthritis that is comprehensive and up-to-date, is a very valuable resource for improving the diagnosis and treatment of knee arthritis. In addition, it is believed that various knee treatment mechanisms, techniques, and tips are organized in an easy-to-understand manner in this book, helping doctors who do not major in knee but want to access knee disease treatment to broaden their understanding of knee arthritis. I do not doubt that this book will make it easier for many patients suffering from knee arthritis and doctors who treat it, and wish the editors great success.