The Journal of Musculoskeletal Medicine Vol 27 No 3

March 08, 2010

ABSTRACT: No new drug was FDA-approved for gout for close to 45 years, but new drugs are on the market now and others are in development. Established treatments often are effective, but each has limitations. In 2009, the FDA approved a nongeneric colchicine for acute gout.

March 07, 2010

ABSTRACT: Evidence of ongoing juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) into adulthood has led to a shift in the treatment paradigm. Most physicians now pursue an approach of early, aggressive combination therapy.

March 07, 2010

This article describes a study of the prevalence of lateral epicondylitis or tennis elbow among patients with neck or arm pain, reviews the prevalence of concomitant cervical radiculopathy, and proposes a management plan for cases in which the conditions coincide.

March 06, 2010

ABSTRACT: A 36-year-old woman presented with Raynaud phenomenon, arthralgia, photosensitive rash, proteinuria, dry eyes and dry mouth, and alopecia.

March 05, 2010

A 45-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with a 3-day history of an acutely painful, swollen, and erythematous thumb. Ordinary x-ray was central to the correct diagnosis.

March 04, 2010

The CDC and the Arthritis Foundation (AF) are spearheading a new initiative designed to reduce the effect of osteoarthritis (OA) on Americans. In response to the recommendations outlined in this action plan, the AF also is cooperating with the Ad Council and the American College of Rheumatology in sponsoring a national public awareness campaign for OA management and prevention.

March 03, 2010

More than 261,000 persons visited an emergency department in 2007 because they had a distal radius fracture, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). To improve patient care for those who sustain this injury, the AAOS released an evidence-based clinical practice guideline, The Treatment of Distal Radius Fractures.

March 03, 2010

There are significant associations between the increased numbers of telangiectases in patients with scleroderma and the presence of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Cutaneous telangiectases may be a manifestation of the vasculopathy of scleroderma that could serve as a clinical biomarker for pulmonary vascular disease.

March 03, 2010

For girls who play soccer, participation in a multifaceted injury prevention program that combines education, proper motion patterns, strength, and balance may reduce the incidence of acute knee injuries significantly. It also may lessen the severity of injuries that do occur.

March 03, 2010

The prevalence of obesity in the United States remains high, exceeding 30% in most sex and age groups. However, the prevalence may not be continuing at as high a level as in earlier periods, especially in women and perhaps in men.

March 03, 2010

Although sleep often is disturbed in persons with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), activity-related exacerbation of symptoms is not related to poor sleep. In fact, persons with CFS often sleep better after engaging in exercise.

March 03, 2010

Late-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), often considered to have a benign disease course, actually involves greater disease activity and comorbidities than early-onset SLE. Differences in disease activity may be associated with an interaction between the SLE and age.

March 02, 2010

The chronic inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) leads to impairment of bone biomechanics in terms of stiffness, ductility, and ultimate strength (fracture), according to researchers at the Rheumatology Research Unit, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, in Portugal. The direct effect of inflammation on bone is difficult to study in patients with RA, they noted, because the skeleton also is affected by corticosteroids and other drugs, as well as aging and menopause, which contribute to bone fragility.

March 02, 2010

Plantar pressures measurement, frequently used in rehabilitation and related research, is highly reliable in evaluating patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to researchers at the University Rehabilitation Institute, Republic of Slovenia, in Ljubljana. On the basis of their findings, they concluded that such measurement is suitable for clinical practice, as well as for research, and recommended taking several measurements and using the average.

March 02, 2010

Neither preterm birth nor being breastfed is significantly associated with the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). These findings are consistent with those of previous investigations for a null association between RA and gestational age, but the previously reported protective effect of being breastfed was not confirmed.

March 02, 2010

Use of a treadmill may help infants who have prenatal complications or were injured at birth walk earlier and better, according to researchers at the School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Angulo-Barroso and associates1 studied developmental changes in treadmill stepping and physical activity in 15 infants at risk for neuromotor delay and explored these changes by diagnosis of cerebral palsy.

March 02, 2010

A healthy gait pattern is based on an array of biomechanical features orchestrated by the CNS for economy and stability, according to investigators in the departments of mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Injuries and pathologies may alter these features and result in substantial gait deficits, often with detrimental consequences for energy expenditure and balance. Therefore, an understanding of the role of biomechanics in the generation of healthy gait may provide insight into these deficits that may be applied to clinical gait pathologies.

March 02, 2010

Prolonged standing on a sloped surface rather than on a level surface results in decreased subjective low back pain (LBP) and associated biomechanical changes, according to researchers at the Regis University School of Physical Therapy in Denver. Nelson-Wong and Callaghan1 noted that occupations that require prolonged periods of standing have been associated with increased reports of musculoskeletal disorders, including LBP.