Musculoskeletal System

Assessment of Strength, Flexibility, and Running Mechanics in Men With Iliotibial Band Syndrome

Authors: Brian Noehren, PT, PhD1, Anne Schmitz, PhD1, Ross Hempel, BS1, Carolyn Westlake, MS1, William Black, MD2 AFFILIATIONS: 1Division of Physical Therapy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY. 2Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of Kentucky. Research […]

Leptin May Be Key in Knee Cartilage Loss

by Wayne Kuznar Contributing Writer, MedPage Today Circulating leptin was linked to knee cartilage thinning in adults after adjusting for body mass index and other factors, and may potentially explain the association between obesity and cartilage thickness. Over 2.7 years, baseline levels of leptin and changes in leptin over time were negatively associated with changes […]

Walking Exercise for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

Walking Exercise for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Seán R. O’Connor, PhD Published Online: December 18, 2014 Objective To systematically review the evidence examining effects of walking interventions on pain and self-reported function in individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Data Sources Six electronic databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychINFO, PEDro, Sport Discus, and the Cochrane […]

Association of Postural Instability With Asymptomatic Cerebrovascular Damage and Cognitive Decline

The Japan Shimanami Health Promoting Program Study Yasuharu Tabara, PhD Abstract Background and Purpose—Asymptomatic cerebral small-vessel disease (cSVD) in elderly individuals are potent risk factors for stroke. In addition to common clinical risk factors, postural instability has been postulated to be associated with cSVD in older frail patients. Here, we conducted a cross-sectional study to […]

Comprehensive Management Of Chronic Knee Pain

Tory McJunkin, MD Pain Medicine News ISSUE: DECEMBER 2014 | VOLUME: 12(12) Knee pain is a very common complaint that can be debilitating when severe. A proper evaluation must begin with a thorough history and physical examination. If the patient is not a surgical candidate, there are several conservative treatment options—such as physical therapy for […]

AHCPR Acute Low Back Problems in Adults: Assessment and Treatment

Attention Clinicians The Clinical Practice Guideline on which this Quick Reference Guide for Clinicians is based was developed by a multidisciplinary, private-sector panel comprising health care professionals and a consumer representative sponsored by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK52120/

The association between vitamin K status and knee osteoarthritis features in older adults

The association between vitamin K status and knee osteoarthritis features in older adults: The Health, Aging and Body Composition Study. Shea MK Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2014 Dec 17. pii: S1063-4584(14)01380-6. doi: 10.1016/j.joca.2014.12.008. [Epub ahead of print] Abstract BACKGROUND: Vitamin K-dependent proteins, including the mineralization inhibitor matrix-gla protein (MGP), are found in joint tissues including cartilage and […]

Symptomatic hand osteoarthritis was linked with coronary heart disease

Painful Hands, Hurting Hearts? Symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA) of the hands was associated with an elevated risk for coronary heart disease events, analysis of data from the Framingham Heart Study showed. In a multivariate analysis that adjusted for multiple factors including age, sex, body mass index, lipids, medication use, and smoking, the hazard ratio for coronary […]

Regional Lumbar Motion and Patient-Rated Outcomes

Regional Lumbar Motion and Patient-Rated Outcomes: A Secondary Analysis of Data From a Randomized Clinical Trial Rune M. Mieritz, DC, PhD Published Online: November 04, 2014 Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship in change scores between regional lumbar motion and patient-rated pain of the previous week and back-related function in chronic […]

Lumbar Spine Degenerative Disc Disease and Chiropractic Spinal Adjusting Pathophysiology, Safety, Effectiveness

DECEMBER 5, 2014 BY CHIROTRUST Introduction A pioneering study was published inThe New England Journal of Medicinein 1994 (1). Researchers from Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, California, performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations on 98 people who did not have back pain. Sixty-four percent of the 98 asymptomatic subjects were found to have abnormal […]

Meniscal Lesions May Help ID Patients With Severe Knee OA

Larry Hand January 16, 2015 Physicians may be able to predict which patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) will be subject to severe pain by determining whether meniscal lesions are contributing to neuropathic pain (NP) in the knee, according to an article published online December 14 in Arthritis Research & Therapy. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to make a diagnosis of […]

Risk factors for low back pain: insights from a novel case-control twin study

Vinicius C. Oliveira, PhD The Spine Journal Available online 4 July 2014 Abstract Background context Previous research has failed to identify strong consistent risk factors for low back pain (LBP). A plausible solution is to conduct hypothesis-generating studies, such as twin case-control surveys. Purpose To investigate twins’ perceptions of the factors responsible for within-pair differences […]

Back problems, comorbidities, and their association with wealth

Deborah J. Schofield, PhD The Spine Journal Volume 15, Issue 1, 1 January 2015, Pages 34–41 Abstract Background context Studies assessing the economic burden of back problems have given little consideration to the presence of comorbidities. Purpose To assess the difference in the value of wealth held by Australians who have back problems and varying […]

C5 palsy after posterior cervical decompression and fusion: cost and quality-of-life implications

The Spine Journal December 1, 2014 Volume 14, Issue 12, Pages 2854–2860 Jacob A. Miller, BS Abstract Background context C5 palsy is a debilitating postoperative complication of cervical decompression surgery. Although the prognosis is typically good, patients may be unable to perform basic activities of daily living, resulting in a decreased quality of life. No […]

Dose Optimization for Spinal Treatment Effectiveness: A Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating the Effects of High and Low Mobilization Forces in Patients With Neck Pain

Authors: Suzanne J. Snodgrass, PhD Study Design Randomized controlled trial. Objective To determine if force magnitude during posterior-to-anterior mobilization affects immediate and short-term outcomes in patients with chronic, nonspecific neck pain. Background The optimal dose of mobilization to effectively treat patients with neck pain is not known. Methods Patients with neck pain of at least […]

Watch for Axial Back Pain in Psoriatic Pts

Published: Dec 12, 2014 By Pam Harrison , Contributing Writer, MedPage Today Story Source Rheumatology Watch for Axial Back Pain in Psoriatic Pts Published: Dec 12, 2014   By Pam Harrison , Contributing Writer, MedPage Today save | A A   Patients with psoriasis have a higher prevalence of lower axial back pain than the general […]

Daily Exercises and Education for Preventing Low Back Pain in Children

Phys Ther. 2014 Dec 11. [Epub ahead of print] Daily Exercises and Education for Preventing Low Back Pain in Children: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. Hill JJ Abstract BACKGROUND: Children report low back pain (LBP) as young as 8 years. Preventing LBP in children may prevent or delay adult incidence. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether education […]

Nighttime Risky for Gout

Published: Dec 11, 2014 Story Source By Nancy Walsh, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Among patients with gout, the risk of an attack was more than doubled during the night compared with the daytime hours, researchers reported. During the first 8 hours of the day, from midnight until 8 a.m., the odds ratio for a […]

Weight Loss Eases Back Pain

Marissa Luck There’s more to weight loss than fitting into your favorite jeans. A number of studies confirm that weight loss can significantly relieve back pain and sciatica in obese patients. Low-back pain and sciatica are common among obese patients. Research shows that having a high BMI can slow your rate of recovery from low-back […]

Pregabalin for Lower Back Pain Not Effective

Commonly Prescribed Drug for Lower Back Pain Not Effective December 10, 2014 A new study out today in the journal Neurology shows that pregabalin is not effective in controlling the pain associated with lumbar spinal stenosis, the most common type of chronic lower back pain in older adults.  “Chronic low back pain is one of the most […]