A systemic review supports the ideas that exercise benefits the physical and mental health of patients experiencing pain related to hip and/or knee osteoarthritis (OA). Overall, research indicates that patients who exercised had slightly lower rates of pain and greater physical function, as well as slightly improved self-efficacy and social function…
A 68-year-old female patient returns to the office for a second round of Inflectra (infliximab-dyyb) infusion for her rheumatoid arthritis with rheumatoid factor of multiple joints without organ or systems involvement. She reports pain, stiffness and swelling in her left and right knees and right elbow and rates the pain at a 9 on a…
After an independent review, ongoing clinical trials investigating the safety of fasinumab for treating hip or knee OA will discontinue the use of higher fasinumab doses…
Arthritis is often associated with retirees, but a new analysis of government data suggests the disease is much more common in young and middle-aged adults than previously believed. Disease prevalence is currently estimated at about 54 million adults, but that number is greatly underestimated, especially among those 64 and younger, according to a study…
For patients with hip osteoarthritis (OA), pain management and maintaining function are primary therapy goals. Current guidelines offer recommendations on nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic approaches to addressing these issues in hip OA. For patients in whom pharmacologic management is considered, the use of intra-articular steroid injections is one option. In its 2012 guidelines (the most current…
When Paul Sufka, MD, a rheumatologist with HealthPartners Medical Group and Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., wants to connect with his colleagues or keep abreast of the latest rheumatology journal articles, he turns to Twitter. Dr. Sufka is one of many rheumatologists who have found effective ways to incorporate social media into their medical…
History A 39-year-old woman returns for follow-up for her rheumatoid arthritis. She has positive rheumatoid factor, but no organ or systemic involvement. She has joint swelling and pain in her left hand, right elbow and right knee. Her pain is at an 8 on a 10-point scale. She states the pain is worse in the…
A recent study compared the efficacy of opioids with nonopioid pain treatments in patients with chronic back pain and hip or knee osteoarthritis. After 12 months, researchers found that treatment with opioids was not superior to treatment with nonopioid medication, with only minor differences in patients’ functional responses to the medications…
Rheumatologists spend so many years treating the same patients, sometimes they start to feel like family. But for some doctors, it’s more than a feeling. The specialty attracts its fair share of relatives who can compare rheumatic notes, discuss complex cases and provide a built-in resource for advice. Brothers. Cousins. Fathers and daughters. In-laws. Husband…
(Reuters Health)—The U.S. spends about twice what other high-income nations do on healthcare, but has the lowest life expectancy and the highest infant mortality rates, a new study suggests. More doctor visits and hospital stays aren’t the problem. Americans use roughly the same amount of health services as people in other affluent nations, the study…