Extremities

Fear of Movement Plagues Patients with Symptomatic Knee OA

by Wayne Kuznar, Contributing Writer April 07, 2017 Fear of movement is common among patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA). More than three-fourths of patients with symptomatic knee OA who were enrolled in a clinical trial of physical therapy and exercise training reported some fear of movement on a novel measure aimed at that very phenomenon in persons with OA, […]

Knee Surgery Does Not Improve Life Quality for Many Patients

Medscape.com Pam Harrison March 29, 2017 Total knee replacement provides minimal quality-of-life benefit for patients with less severe disability at baseline, according to new research. Thus, the treatment, as currently practiced in the United States, is not cost-effective. “Improvements in quality of life with total knee replacement were on average smaller than previously shown,” Bart […]

Knee Patients Spending Millions on Wasted Treatments, Study Finds

NBC NEWS MAR 14 2017, 4:38 PM ET by MAGGIE FOX Wasted treatments for knee pain have racked up millions of dollars in medical bills, researchers reported Tuesday. Patients who had knee replacements went through treatments such as injections that did not help, that are not recommended, and that accounted for a third of their […]

Study cites risk factors for conversion to TKA following knee arthroscopy

Boyd JA, et al. Orthopedics. 2016;doi:10.3928/01477447-20160719-01. March 7, 2017 Results from this study demonstrated women, patients 70 years and older, obese patients, those with diabetes, depression disorders and rheumatoid arthritis had a higher chance of conversion to total knee arthroplasty 2 years following a knee arthroscopy. Researchers identified 68,090 patients older than 50 years who […]

Knee Pain Severity, Not Structural Damage, a Risk Factor for Incident Widespread Pain

MARCH 3, 2017 For people who have osteoarthritis (OA), knee pain severity may be a far more important predictor of long-term incident widespread pain than structural damage, according to results from Canada’s Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study (MOST). Indeed, researchers at the Université de Montréal concluded that consistent frequent knee pain, symptomatic knee OA and knee pain […]

Dry Needling Versus Cortisone Injection in the Treatment of Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome: A Non-Inferiority Randomized Clinical Trial

Kindyle L. Brennan, PT, PhD Study Design Prospective, randomized, partially-blinded. Background Greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) is the current terminology for what was once called greater trochanteric or sub-gluteal bursitis. Cortisone (corticosteroid) injections into the lateral hip is a traditionally accepted treatment for this condition. However, the effectiveness of injecting the bursa with steroids is […]

Lung cancer and shoulder pain: What’s the connection?

Tue 14 March 2017 By Zawn Villines Reviewed by Christina Chun, MPH Most people experience shoulder pain, usually due to inflammation or muscle injuries. Much less frequently, shoulder pain can be a sign of lung cancer. Although shoulder pain is not a hallmark of lung cancer, any persistent unexplained pain warrants a visit to a […]

Very High Prevalence of Frozen Shoulder in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes of More than 45 Years’ Duration. The Dialong Shoulder Study

Niels Gunnar Juel, MD Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Highlights •59% of patients with type 1 diabetes over 45 years had frozen shoulder, 73% bilaterally. •Patients with painful frozen shoulder had highest disability and least shoulder mobility. •High glycemic index was associated severe disability and restricted shoulder mobility. Abstract Objective To compare the prevalence […]

The symptomatic and functional effects of manual physical therapy on plantar heel pain: a systematic review.

J Man Manip Ther. 2017 Feb;25(1):3-10. doi: 10.1080/10669817.2015.1106818. Epub 2016 Apr 26. Mischke JJ1, Jayaseelan DJ2, Sault JD3, Emerson Kavchak AJ3. Author information Abstract OBJECTIVES: Plantar heel pain is common and can be severely disabling. Unfortunately, a gap in the literature exists regarding the optimal intervention for this painful condition. Consequently, a systematic review of the current literature regarding […]

Weak Thigh Muscles Increase Knee OA Risk in Women

Growing evidence of relationship, but only for females by Wayne Kuznar, Contributing Writer February 19, 2017 Women with thigh muscle weakness have an increased risk of radiographic knee osteoarthritis (RKOA), but this relationship was no longer significant when adjusting for body mass index (BMI). In men, in contrast, thigh muscle strength was similar between knees with RKOA and […]

The Side Effects of Orthopedic Knee Surgery: Doubling Down at the Great Orthopedic Surgery Casino

What are the side effects of orthopedic surgery? One of the more disturbing things we see in interventional orthopedics is patients who have undergone multiple aggressive types of orthopedic surgery. The behavior is a bit like a gambler at a casino. If you don’t hit it big the first time, keep doubling down until you […]

Hip and Lumbar Spine Physical Examination Findings in People Presenting With Low Back Pain, With or Without Lower Extremity Pain

Authors: Heidi Prather, DO, Abby Cheng, MD, Karen Steger-May, MA, Vaibhav Maheshwari, DO, Linda Van Dillen, PT, PhD Study Design Prospective cohort study, cross-sectional design. Background The hip-spine syndrome is described in patients with known arthritis of the hip. This study describes the hip examination findings of people presenting with low back pain (LBP). Objectives […]

The Effectiveness of Manual Therapy versus Surgery on Self-Reported Function, Cervical Range of Motion and Pinch Grip Force in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Authors: César Fernández-de-las-Peñas, PT, PhD, DMSc Published: Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 2017 Volume:0 Issue:0 Pages:1–43 DOI: 10.2519/jospt.2017.7090 Study Design Randomized parallel-group trial. Background Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common pain condition that can be managed surgically or conservatively. Objective To compare the effectiveness of manual therapy versus surgery for improving self-reported […]

The weather’s not to blame for your aches and pains

JANUARY 24, 2017 George Institute for Global Health News New research from The George Institute for Global Health has revealed the weather plays no part in the symptoms associated with either back pain or osteoarthritis. It’s long been thought episodes of both back pain and arthritis can be triggered by changes in the weather, including […]

Effectiveness of Nerve Gliding Exercises on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Systematic Review.

Nerve gliding may be a worthwhile add-on in the conservative management of carpal tunnel syndrome.  Here are a couple of videos showing how to do nerve gliding for CTS. Carpal Tunnel Tendon Stretch and Nerve Gliding – Video – Fitzmaurice Hand Institute Carpal Tunnel Nerve Gliding – Video – Leo Rozmaryn MD, Orthopedic Surgeon J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2017 […]

Increased risk for knee replacement surgery after arthroscopic surgery for degenerative meniscal tears: a multi-center longitudinal observational study using data from the osteoarthritis initiative.

Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2017 Jan;25(1):23-29. doi: 10.1016/j.joca.2016.09.013. Epub 2016 Oct 3. Rongen JJ, Rovers MM, van Tienen TG, Buma P, Hannink G. Abstract OBJECTIVE: The primary objective was to assess whether patients with knee osteoarthritis and whom undergo arthroscopic meniscectomy have an increased risk for future knee replacement surgery. DESIGN: Data used were obtained from the […]

Interventions to increase adherence to therapeutic exercise in older adults with low back pain and/or hip/knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Br J Sports Med. 2017 Jan 13. pii: bjsports-2016-096458. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-096458. [Epub ahead of print] Nicolson PJ1, Bennell KL1, Dobson FL1, Van Ginckel A1, Holden MA2, Hinman RS1. Abstract OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether interventions aimed at increasing adherence to therapeutic exercise increase adherence greater than a contextually equivalent control among older adults with chronic low […]

A systematic review of thrust manipulation for non-surgical shoulder conditions

Amy L. Minkalis Chiropractic & Manual Therapies 2017 25:1 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-016-0133-8 ©  The Author(s). 2017 Received: 20 July 2016 Accepted: 7 December 2016 Published: 4 January 2017 Abstract Purpose Although many conservative management options are available for patients with non-surgical shoulder conditions, there is little evidence of their effectiveness. This review investigated one manual therapy approach, thrust manipulation, as a treatment option. Methods A systematic search was conducted of the […]

Dry needling does not offer benefits in addition to personalized, evidencebased physical therapy treatment for patients with nonspecific shoulder pain

Published: Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 2016 Volume:47 Issue:1 Pages:11–20 DOI:10.2519/jospt.2017.6698 Study Design Multicenter, parallel randomized clinical trial. Background Myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) are implicated in shoulder pain and functional limitations. An intervention intended to treat MTrPs is dry needling. Objectives To investigate the effectiveness of dry needling in addition to evidence-based personalized […]

Shoulder pain linked to increased heart disease risk

Date: December 27, 2016 Source: University of Utah Health Sciences Summary: After all the lifting, hauling and wrapping, worn out gift givers may blame the season’s physical strain for any shoulder soreness they are feeling. It turns out there could be another reason. A new study finds that individuals with symptoms that put them at […]