Osteoarthritis News and Research

Latest Osteoarthritis News and Research

Research roundup: Benefits of hip surgery; preventing surgical infections; assessing ACOs' predecessors

Surgical treatment of hip fractures can achieve better survival and functional outcomes than nonoperative treatment, but less is known about its economic benefits. ... We estimated the effects of surgical treatment for displaced hip fractures through a Markov cohort analysis of patients 65 years and older. ... Estimated average lifetime societal benefits per patient exceeded the direct medical costs of hip fracture surgery by $65,000 to $68,000 for displaced hip fractures. With the exception of the assumption of nursing home use, the sensitivity analyses show that surgery produces positive net societal savings (Gu, Koenig, Mather and Tongue, 8/5).

30 Aug 2014

Knee pain when using stairs early clue to OA

Feeling knee pain during weight-bearing activities involving knee bending, such as using stairs, could be an early sign of osteoarthritis and the need for intervention, research indicates.

28 Aug 2014

New biomarker may improve diagnosis of early-stage rheumatoid arthritis

A novel biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has significant potential to help physicians better identify early-stage disease, when treatment can often arrest further disease progression and disability, according to a new study in The Journal of Rheumatology.

From Quest Diagnostics 28 Aug 2014

Patients with mild osteoarthritis may not benefit from knee surgery

A new study indicates that there is no apparent benefit to arthroscopic knee surgery for age-related tears of the meniscus in comparison with nonsurgical or sham treatments.

26 Aug 2014

Highlights from the August issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter

Here are highlights from the August issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter. You may cite this publication as often as you wish. Reprinting is allowed for a fee. Mayo Clinic Health Letter attribution is required.

22 Aug 2014

Decision Resources expands disease-level coverage of Treatment Algorithms Insight Series

Decision Resources has expanded its disease-level coverage of the Treatment Algorithms Insight Series, which examines U.S. physicians' prescribing behavior, to provide a quantitative analysis of an agent's penetration into each line of therapy.

19 Aug 2014

New mechanism of joint destruction grinds away healthy cartilage, worsens osteoarthritis

A new mechanism of joint destruction caused by a natural material that grinds away healthy cartilage and worsens osteoarthritis has been identified in human hip joints for the first time by University of Liverpool scientists.

12 Aug 2014

Experts explain pros and cons of over-the-counter enzymes

Enzyme supplements available without a prescription are becoming increasingly popular, but should everyone add them to their shopping list? Brent Bauer, M.D., director of the Mayo Clinic Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program, is co-author of a new paper in the medical journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings on the pros and cons of over-the-counter enzymes.

5 Aug 2014

Opioid use does not impair reverse shoulder arthroplasty success

Taking opioids prior to reverse shoulder arthroplasty does not hamper patients’ chances of having successful outcomes, researchers have found.

28 Jul 2014

Activity level predicts how well patients recover from injuries after treatment

According to a literature review in the July issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, patients' activity level is a strong predictor for how well they will do with certain treatments and how well they recover from injuries after treatment. Patients are encouraged to ask their orthopaedic surgeon if activity level is an important factor in their treatment decision.

23 Jul 2014

Chronic fatigue and rheumatoid arthritis: an interview with Ailsa Bosworth, CE, National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society

Chronic fatigue is about much more than merely feeling tired and when it is at its worst, people feel unable to do almost anything, so it can impact absolutely every area of their life.

22 Jul 2014

Women with history of pregnancy loss are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease later

The Annals of Family Medicine today published an article detailing research showing that women with a history of pregnancy loss are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease later in adulthood than other women, work completed by physicians in the Center for Primary Care and Prevention (CPCP) at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island.

17 Jul 2014

Embolisation of abnormal neovessels relieves osteoarthritic knee pain

Transcatheter arterial embolisation relieves knee pain in patients with moderate osteoarthritis who are resistant to pharmacological pain management, research suggests.

15 Jul 2014

Paracetamol safety and osteoarthritis: an interview with Professor David Hunter, University of Sydney

Firstly, paracetamol has been the first-line recommended treatment for osteoarthritis pain for very many years and, secondly, it is readily available over the counter and can be bought in relatively large quantities.

15 Jul 2014

Acupuncture can affect severity of hot flashes for women in natural menopause

In the 2,500+ years that have passed since acupuncture was first used by the ancient Chinese, it has been used to treat a number of physical, mental and emotional conditions including nausea and vomiting, stroke rehabilitation, headaches, menstrual cramps, asthma, carpal tunnel, fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis, to name just a few.

15 Jul 2014

Mitek Sports Medicine expands early intervention options for sports medicine physicians and patients

Mitek Sports Medicine, a leader in orthopaedics sports medicine and a part of the DePuy Synthes Companies of Johnson & Johnson, announced the launch of MONOVISC High Molecular Weight Hyaluronan, a single-injection treatment for knee pain related to osteoarthritis and the PEAK Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) System, a new device that produces high quality PRP in only 2.5 minutes.

14 Jul 2014