Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Orthopedics for July 2009. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Blood Biochemical May Predict Severe Osteoarthritis
FRIDAY, July 31 (HealthDay News) -- The serum level of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), a biochemical thought to be associated with cartilage damage and inflammation in osteoarthritis, offers clinicians the first biochemical predictor of the development of severe osteoarthritis, according to a study in the August issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Electronic Disease Surveillance Systems Vary Widely
FRIDAY, July 31 (HealthDay News) -- Electronic disease surveillance systems vary widely from state to state and the lack of homogeneity will raise the cost of data sharing, according to a study published in the July 31 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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U.S. Health Data Network a Powerful Tool for Quality
FRIDAY, July 31 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. health care system is on the verge of a new era in which distributed health data networks will assure local control of sensitive individual patient data, while providing medical researchers and policy makers access to powerful aggregate data on millions of patients, according to a pair of articles in the September 1 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Radiologist Workload Rises Overall, but Varies by Practice
THURSDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- The workload for radiologists has increased 34 percent overall since the early 1990s, but there is considerable variation in the number of procedures performed each year by individual radiology practices, according to a study in the August issue of Radiology.
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Risk Factors May Predict Fast Knee Cartilage Loss
TUESDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with no or minimal structural osteoarthritis, baseline factors including overweight and obesity are strong predictors of significant fast tibiofemoral cartilage loss, according to a study published online July 27 in Radiology.
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Review Shows Benefits of Massage in Low Back Pain
FRIDAY, July 24 (HealthDay News) -- Massage may offer long-lasting benefits in individuals with subacute or chronic nonspecific low back pain, according to research published in the July 15 issue of Spine.
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Operative Scoliosis Treatment Linked to Less Leg Pain
FRIDAY, July 24 (HealthDay News) -- Surgical treatment of scoliosis in adults may lead to better improvement of leg pain than non-operative treatment, according to research published in the July 15 Spine.
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Methods to Determine Health Care Priorities Questioned
FRIDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- Evaluating health care priorities based on the attitudes of patients (direct method) or the attitudes of the general public (indirect method) can produce different results, complicating decisions on the allocation of health care resources, according to two papers published July 22 in BMJ.
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Camera Phones Can Help Doctors Make Rare Diagnoses
FRIDAY, July 24 (HealthDay News) -- A pregnant patient with an uncommon nipple condition captured images of the transient changes to her nipples and gave them to her doctor, enabling an accurate diagnosis, according to an article published online July 22 in BMJ.
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Classification System Could Improve Low Back Pain Care
FRIDAY, July 24 (HealthDay News) -- Although low back pain is a heterogeneous condition, recognizing patterns in symptoms can help to classify it and guide more effective treatment, according to a study in the August issue of The Spine Journal.
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Some Improvements Seen in Hip Fracture Pain Practices
THURSDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- In older adults with hip fractures, pain assessment and management practices in emergency departments have improved since new standards were issued by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, but the level of care still does not consistently meet best practice guidelines, according to a study published in the July Journal of Emergency Nursing.
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Emergency Clinicians Need Training to Treat Blast Injuries
THURSDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- With the increasing incidence of terrorist attacks worldwide, civilian emergency clinicians need training on managing the unique injuries that occur in explosions, according to a paper published online July 23 in the The Lancet.
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Obesity Rates Highest Among African-American Population
FRIDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- The prevalence of obesity is far higher among African-Americans than Caucasians in America, and Hispanics also have significantly higher obesity rates, according to a study published in the July 17 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Godelive Denys-Struyf Method Useful for Low Back Pain
TUESDAY, July 14 (HealthDay News) -- The muscular and articular Godelive Denys-Struyf method of physical therapy, named after its developer, a Belgian kinesiotherapist, is more effective for the treatment of nonspecific lower back pain than conventional physical therapy, according to a study published in the July 1 issue of Spine.
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Halo Treatment Effective in Cervical Spine Injury
TUESDAY, July 14 (HealthDay News) -- Treating traumatic cervical spine injuries with halo vest immobilization (HVI) is a reasonable option, according to a study published in the July 1 issue of Spine.
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Proprioceptive Training Helps Prevent Repeat Ankle Sprains
FRIDAY, July 10 (HealthDay News) -- Athletes who receive proprioceptive training after an ankle sprain are less likely to have a recurrent sprain than athletes who do not receive the training, according to a study published July 9 in BMJ.
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Routine X-Rays After Lumbar Fusion May Not Be Useful
FRIDAY, July 10 (HealthDay News) -- Routine X-rays appear to have limited usefulness in the year after lumbar spinal fusion, according to research published in the July 1 issue of Spine.
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Many Physicians Have Gaps in Low Back Pain Knowledge
FRIDAY, July 10 (HealthDay News) -- Orthopedists, and to a lesser extent family practitioners, may have insufficient basic knowledge on the best management of simple low back pain, according to research published in the July 1 issue of Spine.
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Obesity Rates for American Adults Still Going Up
THURSDAY, July 9 (HealthDay News) -- At least 25 percent of the adult population in 32 states is now obese, and national prevalence of obesity has risen from 25.6 percent in 2007 to 26.1 percent in 2008, according to a July 8 report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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More Complications After Joint Replacement With Diabetes
THURSDAY, July 9 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with uncontrolled diabetes are at higher risk of complications and mortality after knee or hip total joint arthroplasty than patients with controlled diabetes, according to research published in the July 1 Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
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One-Fifth of Patients Aged 60 to 69 Have Spinal Stenosis
THURSDAY, July 9 (HealthDay News) -- The prevalence of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) increases with age, and almost one-fifth of patients aged 60 to 69 years have absolute stenosis, putting them at greater risk for lower back pain, according to a study published in the July issue of The Spine Journal.
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Sciatica Outcomes Not Better After Tubular Diskectomy
TUESDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with sciatica, minimally invasive treatment with tubular diskectomy does not significantly improve functional disability compared to conventional microdiskectomy, and may be associated with poorer outcomes, according to a study in the July 8 Journal of the American Medical Association.
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FDA Requires Stronger Label Warnings About Propoxyphene
TUESDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken steps to help prevent overdose in patients taking pain medications that contain the opioid propoxyphene, including Darvon and Darvocet, according to a July 7 release issued by the agency.
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Advances in Posterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Seen
TUESDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- Although major advances have been made in the surgical treatment of posterior cruciate ligament tears, the optimal technique has yet to be identified, according to a review article published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
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Thromboprophylaxis Need Assessed in Spine Surgery
MONDAY, July 6 (HealthDay News) -- In spinal trauma with or without spinal cord injury, spine surgeons agree that pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis is necessary for selected groups of patients, according to a study published in the July issue of The Spine Journal.
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Cartilage Transplantation Evolving for Ankle Repair
MONDAY, July 6 (HealthDay News) -- Ankle repair techniques have improved as a result of the adaptation of knee repair techniques, such as autologous chondrocyte implantation and matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation, according to an article published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
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Hip Screening Methods for Later Arthritis Weighed
MONDAY, July 6 (HealthDay News) -- Screening of all newborns for hip dysplasia with a physical exam, along with ultrasound for high-risk infants, appears to be the best of three options for improving the chance of having a non-arthritic hip later in life, according to research published in the July 1 issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
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Walking Aids Linked to Fall Injuries in Elderly
FRIDAY, July 3 (HealthDay News) -- Each year, more than 47,000 elderly patients go to the emergency department after being injured in falls associated with walkers and canes, according to a study published online June 23 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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Spine Surgeons Faulted in Elderly Screenings
THURSDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) -- In elderly patients, many spine surgeons may be unwilling to perform routine osteoporosis or osteomalacia workups despite the high incidence of these conditions in this population, according to a study published in the July issue of The Spine Journal.
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Needle Treatment May Help Calcific Shoulder Tendonitis
WEDNESDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- Percutaneous ultrasound-guided treatment of rotator cuff calcific tendonitis may provide rapid improvement of shoulder function and relief of pain, according to research published in the July issue of Radiology.
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Overweight Patients Require Increased Radiation Dose
WEDNESDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- During diagnostic radiologic procedures, overweight and obese patients require radiation doses that are several times greater than those needed by lean patients. With careful management, however, the effective doses may be reduced, according to a study published in the July issue of Radiology.
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Priorities Set for Comparative Effectiveness Research
WEDNESDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- The extent to which large-scale public investment in comparative effectiveness research can achieve its goals of better decision making and improved uptake of new knowledge depends on engaging the medical profession and patients, according to recommendations by the Institute of Medicine published online June 30 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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