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Articles tagged with "Knee Osteoarthritis (OA)"

Conservative vs. Surgical: What Influences OA Treatment Choices?

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

Prior research has found that the use of surgery to treat osteoarthritis is increasing, while more conservative treatments, such as physical therapy, are underused. This disparity drove researchers to examine what influences a patient’s treatment choice. They found that a treatment’s characteristics—including a patient’s expectations for effectiveness and risk—affect decision making. Other influences: personal investment and circumstances, as well as support and advice from social networks and healthcare providers…

Placebo Outperforms Glucosamine/Chondroitin Sulfate for Knee OA

Erin Blakemore  |  

(Reuters Health)—Glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate are not more beneficial than placebo treatments for patients with knee osteoarthritis, a recent trial suggests. In a double-blind study, researchers investigated the efficacy of a medicine that delivered both glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. The 164 participants all had osteoarthritis and moderate to severe knee pain. Half the participants…

Inflammation May Sensitize Patients with Osteoarthritis to Pain

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A recent editorial in Arthritis & Rheumatology explored the role of sensitization, not nociception, as a key mechanism of pain for patients with knee OA, as well as inflammation’s role in pain perception. Recent research of synovitis and joint effusion supports the idea that early prevention or treatment of sensitization may be paramount to reducing long-term pain in patients with knee OA…

OA Knee Pain Treatment Enters Clinical Trials, Ixekizumab Receives FDA Approval & Belimumab Promising for SLE Patients

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Clinical trials have begun to determine if disodium zoledronate tetrahydrate is safe and effective for treating pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The FDA has approved the use of ixekizumab for the treatment of plaque psoriasis. And a study has shown that patients with SLE treated with belimumab may be able to decrease steroid use…

Self-Reported Knee Instability After Surgery Linked to Pain & Limited Mobility

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

Patients with osteoarthritis often consider total knee replacement surgery to resolve pain and increase mobility. However, a recent study found that self-reported knee instability and pain are prevalent in patients both before and after primary unilateral total knee replacement surgery. One-third of the study’s participants still had knee instability after surgery, experiencing knee buckling and shifting associated with pain and limited activity. Using physical performance measurements, researchers linked self-reported knee instability following surgery to pain and poor lower-extremity muscle strength…

Low-Grade Inflammation in Symptomatic Knee OA

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Although osteoarthritis (OA) was formerly considered a non-inflammatory joint disease, it’s now well-appreciated that inflammatory mediators, such as PGE2 and IL-1β, are produced by osteoarthritic joint tissues and can be used to identify patients with symptomatic knee OA. A peripheral blood leukocyte inflammatory transcriptome identifies a subset of symptomatic knee OA patients at higher risk for radiographic progression and may reflect persistent low-grade joint inflammation…

Knee Replacement Surgery Works, but So Can Nonsurgical Techniques

Gene Emery  |  

(Reuters Health)—Total knee replacement can usually relieve pain and improve function, but a nonsurgical regimen can also be effective in some people without posing the complication risks of surgery, according to a new study. The study found that while 85% of patients who underwent surgery showed clinically-significant improvement after one year, so did 67% assigned…