Until now, the method of how the disease spreads from joint to joint was unknown. But a study in Nature Medicine suggests that cells called synovial fibroblasts may be to blame.
Cells surrounding joints affected by rheumatoid arthritis may spread the disease to other joints by traveling through blood vessels, according to a new study.
This is a great little article on Hip Bursitis
Title: Health Tip: What’s Behind Hip Bursitis?
Category: Health News
Created: 11/6/2009 8:10:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 11/6/2009
An interesting take on OTC glucosamine and chondroitin supplements – it may be an idea to consult your doctor.
According to the recently published guidelines from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), glucosamine and chondroitin should not be prescribed for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.
Glucosamine and chondroitin are nutritional supplements that are sold over-the-counter in pharmacies, grocery stores, and health food stores. The supplements have been thought to help stimulate cartilage healing and repair in patients with osteoarthritis.
The recommendations from the AAOS cite six randomized clinical trials that have investigated the use of these nutritional supplements, either alone or combined, that found no significant clinical benefit when compared to placebo. While no harmful effects of these nutritional supplements were noted, the AAOS advises that these supplements not be used in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.
Sources:
Richmond, JC “AAOS adopts clinical practice guidelines on OA Knee” American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2009.
Glucosamine & Chondroitin Not Recommended for Knee Arthritis originally appeared on About.com Orthopedics on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 20:49:17.
Everyone who has joint replacement surgery knows the implant can wear out over time. But sometimes implants wear out more quickly than expected. In fact, some implants have design flaws that cause them to wear out even quicker than anticipated.
Unfortunately, we often are not aware of these design flaws until many patients have had problems. One of the reasons could be the lack of a national reporting system when problems are encountered. Joint registry databases are common in some countries, but not in the United States. Critic point out that having a database could prevent the implanting of bad joint replacements by allowing doctors to know as soon as possible when a problem occurs.
Should the U.S. have a National Joint Replacement Registry? Leave your comments!
Related: What is the best hip replacement implant? | Or best knee replacement implant?
Image © Medical Multimedia Group
Will Your Joint Replacement Last? originally appeared on About.com Orthopedics on Monday, October 5th, 2009 at 07:40:03.
This is a great video, showing some cool exercises to relieve hip joint pain – just remember to start slow and take it easy on yourself
For people that have been be diagnosed with arthritis hip joint pain can become one of the primary problems they face during the upcoming years. In fact, if you have osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis you can, unfortunately, expect hip joint pain for many years to come.
If your symptoms have been diagnosed in the early stages, it may be possible to treat your condition with a combination of nonprescription medication and light therapy and exercise. The first thing to do is visit your health care professional. When you visit, there office be prepared for a full examination and to explain all of your symptoms and the history associated with them. During a physical examination your doctor will probably probe and examine the joint directly, he or she may also get you to walk around the room so that they can observe your movement to try to identify any potential problems such as bone spurs. They may even decide to run a course of x-rays to check that you have enough room around the joint and again to see if any bone spurs are present or if there are any other problems.
As I mentioned earlier, it may be possible to treat your condition using non-prescription medication and light exercise. This really is contingent upon you identifying the problem during its early stages. The first thing to try is to reduce the usage of the hip joint, hopefully this is obvious, if you used the hip joint less you are less likely to suffer from hip joint pain. You may need to be much more careful about carrying things, such as small children and groceries. If you have a job that involves carrying things will significant strenuous activity then you may need to consider changing careers or being reassigned to a less active role. Finally, light exercise can have an extremely beneficial effect on your hip joint pain; just make sure that you choose something that supports you such as swimming or water aerobics.
Attention: Upper and Lower Back Pain and Sciatica sufferers
