Weight
One-third gain weight after knee replacement surgery
People who have knee replacement surgery are more likely to gain weight gain in the years after the operation than those from the same area who haven’t had an op, says a new UK study published in Arthritis Care & Research.
Data from one of the largest knee replacement registries in the UK was analysed; 30% of people who had knee replacements increased their body weight by at least 5% in the five years after surgery compared with 19.7% of members of the general public. Continue reading
Physical activity helps recovery from chronic back pain
Physical activity is key to recovery from chronic back pain, says a new study published in BMC Public Health.
Scientists from Sweden looked at 1,836 people aged 18–84 years who had persistent back pain between 2002 and 2003.
By 2007, 21% of participants had recovered from their back pain. All volunteers completed follow-up questionnaires so the team could analyse if there were links between physical activity, body mass index (BMI) and recovery from back pain: 23% were sedentary in their free time, 51% had low levels of physical activity, 16% were moderately active and 10% were highly active. Continue reading
Grant given to help young people with arthritis
A team of researchers from Newcastle University are investigating how they can help young people with arthritis make better choices about the drugs they take to treat their condition.
Dr Tim Rapley’s team has been awarded £151,663 from Arthritis Research UK to carry out the three- year study.
“When young people are diagnosed with arthritis, their rheumatologists may prescribe drugs such as etanercept for their treatment,” says Dr Rapley. “These can be very effective but they may also have long-term risks, which are currently unknown, especially when taken by young people.” Continue reading
Osteopathy does help chronic lower back pain
New research has highlighted the benefits of osteopathy for people with chronic lower back pain.
US researchers from the Health Science Centre in the University of Texas assessed 455 people who visited the centre for back pain. One group had six sessions of osteopathy over 12 weeks and another group received ultrasound.
Those who received ultrasound therapy experienced little improvement in their chronic lower back pain. But almost two-thirds of the osteopathy group had 30% improvement in pain (and 50% had 50% less pain) and reduced use of prescription painkillers.
“Our research offers hope in the form of a hands-on treatment that provides moderate to substantial improvement in pain, and that reduces the use of prescription medication,” says study author Dr John Licciardone in the Annals of Family Medicine. “Not only does osteopathy reduce pain, it seems to work even better in people who experience higher pain levels.”
Natural lubricant may treat and prevent osteoarthritis
Dr Gregory Jay from
Rhode Island Hospital
Adding lubricin – a lubricant that our bodies naturally produce – to the fluid in our joints may reduce the risk of (or even prevent) osteoarthritis, says research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The discoveries were made in part by studying the knees of mice and challenge the practice of injecting hyaluronic acid alone into the joints of people with osteoarthritis.
“The lubricant is a protein, not hyaluronic acid, and currently, there are no disease-modifying treatments for osteoarthritis,” explains Dr Gregory Jay. “This discovery, however, supports that adding a lubricin replacement to the fluid in joints may in fact prevent osteoarthritis in those who have a genetic predisposition to the illness, or who have suffered significant trauma to the joints.” Continue reading
