Knee Osteoarthritis

Sick of Synthetic Drugs? Turmeric Extract May Be Your Best Bet For Healing Knee Osteoarthritis

March 19, 2016 by Alexa Erickson In our modern world where Western medicine reigns supreme, it’s important to remember that long before there were synthetic medications for treating ailments, our natural resources saved the day. There are millions of people taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on a daily basis for inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, but […]

Analgesics Plus Exercise Therapy Feasible for Knee OA

Seventy-eight percent of patients could participate in exercise protocol after analgesic use FRIDAY, March 11, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A combined intervention of optimized analgesic prescription and exercise therapy is feasible and associated with significant reductions in pain and activity limitation in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and severe knee pain, according to a study […]

Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on Tibial Cartilage Volume and Knee Pain Among Patients With Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis

A Randomized Clinical Trial Xingzhong Jin, MD JAMA March 8, 2016, Vol 315, No. 10 Importance  Observational studies suggest that vitamin D supplementation is associated with benefits for knee osteoarthritis, but current trial evidence is contradictory. Objective  To compare the effects of vitamin D supplementation vs placebo on knee pain and knee cartilage volume in […]

Improvement in Knee Osteoarthritis Pain With Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections Lasts for 6 Months

March 07, 2016 February 21, 2016—Palm Springs, California—The beneficial clinical effects of platelet-rich plasma injections for knee osteoarthritis pain remained stable from the end of treatment through 6 months follow up in most studies of the technique. This outcome of a systematic review encompassing 24 studies was presented at the 32nd Annual Meeting of the […]

Meniscal Tears in OA: Arthroscopy No Help

03.06.2016 Patients with arthroscopy were 30% more likely to have joint replacement by Nancy Walsh Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today ORLANDO — Among patients who have meniscal damage complicated by knee osteoarthritis (OA), arthroscopy did not decrease or delay the likelihood of eventually having knee replacement, a researcher reported here. In a large cohort of […]

Joint Mobilization Enhances Mechanisms of Conditioned Pain Modulation in Individuals With Osteoarthritis of the Knee

Authors: Carol A. Courtney, PT, PhD Published: Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 2016 Volume:46 Issue:3 Pages:168–176 DOI: 10.2519/jospt.2016.6259 Study Design An experimental laboratory study with a repeated-measures crossover design. Background Treatment effects of joint mobilization may occur in part by decreasing excitability of central nociceptive pathways. Impaired conditioned pain modulation (CPM) has been […]

Knee Buckling Linked With Falls in Osteoarthritis

02.12.2016 May also bring loss of confidence in balance and increased fear of falling by Diana Swift Contributing Writer Older individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA) who reported falling when a knee buckled had a significantly increased likelihood of additional falls and of developing adverse consequences of falling, a large prospective study found. A fall related […]

Cartilage Degeneration, Osteoarthritis Symptoms, and Weight Loss in Obese and Overweight Individuals

February 09, 2016 Osteoarthritis and Cartilage/OARS, Osteoarthritis Research Society TAKE-HOME MESSAGE People with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis (OA) and a BMI ≥25 kg/m2 were followed for 48 months to evaluate the effect of varying amounts of weight loss on cartilage degeneration, measured with 3T MRI-based T2 values, and symptoms. The amount of weight lost […]

Arthroscopic Knee Surgery Does Not Cure Sensations of Knee Catching or Locking

Date:February 8, 2016 Source: University of Helsinki Summary: A commonly used surgical treatment does not help patients who suffer from ‘mechanical symptoms’ associated with a degenerative knee, a new Finnish study demonstrates. A new Finnish study proves that a commonly used surgical treatment does not help patients who suffer from “mechanical symptoms” (sensations of knee […]

Weight Loss Improves Function and Knee Osteoarthritis Pain

01.30.2016 Weight loss of more than 10% produced the greatest improvement by Wayne Kuznar Contributing Writer More weight loss translates to greater improvement of knee osteoarthritis (OA) symptoms, an international team of researchers has found. In a community-based study, a dose-response relationship was found between weight loss and symptom improvement in knee OA, with weight […]

Knee osteoarthritis pain in the elderly can be reduced by massage therapy, yoga and tai chi: A review

Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice , 01/28/2016 Field T This is a review of recently published research, both empirical studies and meta–analyses, on the effects of complementary therapies including massage therapy, yoga and tai chi on pain associated with knee osteoarthritis in the elderly. Larger, randomized control trials are needed on each of these therapies […]

Inflammation Tied to Bone Marrow Lesions in Knee OA

01.20.2016 Results may facilitate development of new treatment strategies by Wayne Kuznar Contributing Writer Systemic inflammation was linked with bone marrow lesion scores and pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), researchers from Australia and China reported. Serum high sensitivity-C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) was associated with the presence of knee bone marrow lesions and knee pain, […]

Patient age, diabetes increase mortality risk after TKA

January 3, 2014 Older patients and patients with diabetes have an increased risk of mortality and postoperative complications following primary total unilateral knee arthroplasty, according to recently published data. Philip J. Belmont, Jr., MD and colleagues studied 15,321 patients who underwent primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA). They found that the results “underscore that diabetes […]

TENS in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: Evidence From Randomized-controlled Trials Chen, Ling-Xiao MD; Zhou, Zhi-Rui MD; Li, Yu-Lin MD; Ning, Guang-Zhi MD; Li, Yan MD; Wang, Xiao-Bo MD; Feng, Shi-Qing PhD The Clinical Journal of Pain February 2016 Vol. 32 – Issue 2: p 146–154 Abstract Objectives: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) […]

Joint Mobilization Enhances Mechanisms of Conditioned Pain Modulation in Individuals With Osteoarthritis of the Knee

Carol A. Courtney, PT, PhD Study Design Experimental laboratory study with repeated measures crossover design. Background Treatment effects of joint mobilization may occur in part by decreasing excitability of central nociceptive pathways. Impaired conditioned pain modulation (CPM) has been found experimentally in persons with knee and hip osteoarthritis (OA), indicating impaired inhibition of central nociceptive […]

The Effect of Knee Braces on Quadriceps Strength and Inhibition in Subjects With Patellofemoral Osteoarthritis

Michael J. Callaghan, PhD, MPhil, MCSP Abstract Study Design Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Background The use of external supports has been questioned because they may lead to weakness in the surrounding muscles. To our knowledge, there is no investigation into the effect of knee supports or braces on quadriceps muscle strength and […]

Body Mass Index and Risk of Knee Osteoarthritis

December 25, 2015 BMJ Open TAKE-HOME MESSAGE The authors of this meta-analysis of 14 studies evaluated the association between body mass index (BMI) and the risk of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. The risk of knee OA was significantly increased in overweight (RR, 2.45) and obese (RR, 4.55) individuals. Each 5-kg/m2 increase in BMI resulted in […]

Knee Bracing No Benefit Over Nonoperative Program in Knee OA

Significant improvements in pain, activities of daily living at week 52, regardless of bracing TUESDAY, Nov. 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), knee bracing offers no benefit over a multidisciplinary nonoperative program, according to a study published online Nov. 12 in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases. Shirley P. Yu, […]

Steroid Shots No Long-Term Help in Knee OA

11.13.2015 No effects on structural progression in 2-year randomized study by Nancy Walsh Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today SAN FRANCISCO — Intra-articular steroid injections are not effective over the long term for preventing structural damage in knee osteoarthritis, a 2-year randomized trial found. In the study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, […]

Ozone gas injections may do the trick for knee osteoarthritis sufferers

Date: November 8, 2015 Source: American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Summary: Injecting ozone gas into the knee reduces pain and improves functioning and quality of life in people with knee osteoarthritis, according to new research. Injecting ozone gas into the knee reduces pain and improves functioning and quality of life in people with knee osteoarthritis, […]