Extremities

Multi-faceted approach to diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome recommended

New guidelines do not recommend the routine use of MRI imaging for diagnosis Date: March 2, 2016 Source: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Summary: New guidelines recommend the collective use of a thorough patient history and specific physical examination maneuvers, in addition to observation and specific diagnostic tests to more definitively diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome, […]

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 […]

Management of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline 2016 – Full Text

Adopted by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Board of Directors February 29, 2016 AAOS guideline download (Free PDF)

Chronic Plantar Fasciitis: Effect of Platelet-Rich Plasma, Corticosteroid, and Placebo

Pankaj Mahindra, MS; Mohammad Yamin, MS; Harpal S. Selhi, MS; Sonia Singla, MD; Ashwani Soni, MS Orthopedics Posted February 25, 2016 DOI: 10.3928/01477447-20160222-01 Abstract Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain. It is a disabling disease in its chronic form. It is a degenerative tissue condition of the plantar fascia rather than an […]

Cochrane reviews on chiropractic care related to lower extremity disorders

Click the titles to read the abstracts. Full text is available by subscription. Almeida MO, Silva NGB, Andriolo RB, Atallah AN, Peccin MS. Conservative interventions for treating exercise-related musculotendinous, ligamentous and osseous groin pain. CD009565. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2013 (6). Callaghan MJ, Selfe J. Patellar taping for patellofemoral pain syndrome in adults.CD006717. Cochrane […]

Exercise for treating patellofemoral pain syndrome: an abridged version of Cochrane systematic review

European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, 02/18/2016 Van Der Heijden RA, et al. The aim of this study is to assess the effects of exercise therapy in people with PFPS. This review found very low quality but consistent evidence that exercise therapy for PFPS may result in clinically important reduction in pain and improvement […]

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 […]

Resection of a torn meniscus has no added benefit over sham surgery to relieve knee catching or occasional locking

Mechanical Symptoms and Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy in Patients With Degenerative Meniscus Tear: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Trial Raine Sihvonen, MD, PhD Background: Recent evidence shows that arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM) offers no benefit over conservative treatment of patients with a degenerative meniscus tear. However, patients who report mechanical symptoms (sensations of knee catching […]

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 […]

High-Heeled Shoes and Musculoskeletal Injuries

February 02, 2016 BMJ Open TAKE-HOME MESSAGE The association between wearing high-heeled shoes and the development of musculoskeletal pathology was assessed in this systematic review of 18 studies. The researchers found an association between high-heeled shoes and hallux valgus in three of four articles, an association with pain in three of five articles, with first-party […]

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 […]

How To Prevent ACL Injuries Through Corrective Exercise Programing

HOW TO PREVENT ACL INJURIES AND KEEP YOUR CLIENTS ON THE COURT THROUGH CORRECTIVE EXERCISE PROGRAMMING David Cruz, DC, CSCS, FMS, SFMA DAVID CRUZ, DC, CSCS, FMS, SFMA · JANUARY 21, 2016 Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are one of the most common among young female athletes occurring at a conservative estimate of 38,000 incidences […]

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, […]

Lowering Dietary Glycemic Index Reduces Plasma Uric Acid

Janis C. Kelly January 13, 2016 A low–glycemic index (GI) diet including foods such as legumes, dairy products, and some fruits might help prevent the development of gout or the occurrence of gout flares, according to a new analysis of diet and plasma uric acid. Stephen P. Juraschek, MD, PhD, a fellow in the Division […]

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) […]

Got Gout? Watch for AFib

Cardiovascular assessment warranted at diagnosis, especially with other risk factors by Wayne Kuznar Contributing Writer At the index date of gout diagnosis, a significantly greater percentage of gout patients had Afib compared with controls (7.42% versus 2.98%, P<0.001). The prevalence of Afib at the index date was significantly higher in both men (6.69% versus 2.49%) […]

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 […]