Humans are not perfectly symmetrical. Almost everyone has one ear that’s higher or one foot that’s larger than the other. Similarly, leg lengths are often not quite the same. There is disagreement as to what constitutes a clinically significant difference, but some studies suggest that leg length discrepancy (LLD) can lead to osteoarthritis (OA) of…
The use of warfarin may increase the risk of knee or hip replacement in patients with osteoarthritis (OA), according to research presented during ACR Convergence 2020.
(Reuters Health)—Patients with a degenerative meniscus tear who get arthroscopic partial meniscectomy have similar five-year outcomes and increased risk of radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA) as without surgery, a small study suggests. Researchers in Finland randomly assigned 146 adults with degenerative meniscus tear confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to receive either arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM)…
Physical inactivity significantly affects disease burden and reduces the overall quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), according to a study from Losina et al. The researchers calculated the total quality-adjusted life-years lost for U.S. patients with OA due to inactivity.
A 65-year-old woman was referred by an orthopedist to a rheumatologist for left knee pain. Previously, in 2014, she underwent left total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for severe osteoarthritis in a different institution. Following the procedure, she experienced severe chronic anterolateral knee pain at rest, exacerbated by walking. Because she was rendered wheelchair bound and required…
(Reuters Health)—People with stiff and aching knees due to arthritis get better relief from physical therapy than from cortisone injections, according to a one-year military study comparing the two treatments. A multi-disciplinary team of doctors reports in The New England Journal of Medicine that people who initially scored 107 on a 241-point scale measuring a…
(Reuters Health)—Young adults who have had knee injuries are much more likely than uninjured peers to develop knee osteoarthritis (OA) by middle age, especially if they have broken bones or torn connective tissue, a recent study suggests. Cruciate ligament injuries were associated with a 19.6% greater risk of knee osteoarthritis, the study found. Meniscal tears…
Guideline authors discussed therapeutic options for patients with hand, knee and hip OA in a session at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting.
A 56-year-old automobile mechanic was referred to our rheumatology service by his orthopedist to evaluate left posterior knee pain and swelling that had been present for three months. The patient had undergone bilateral total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) for sports-related osteoarthritis three years before. In addition to the knee pain, the patient described several years of…
People with or at risk for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA) may be assigned to four depression subtypes with distinct clusters of depressive symptoms that may affect pain and disability over time, according to a new study in Arthritis Care & Research.1 Four depression subtypes were identified in the study using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies…