Osteoarthritis and Bone Disorders News

A combination of conservative treatments offered patients with thumb base osteoarthritis “small to medium and potentially clinically beneficial effects on hand function but not pain,” researchers wrote in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The societal cost of total lifetime opioid use in patients with knee osteoarthritis is approximately $14 billion, nearly half of which is due to lost work productivity, diversion and criminal justice costs, according to data.

Adults with osteoporosis have had fewer in-person appointments, delayed DXA scans and interruptions with medication supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to results from a global survey of physicians.

Cognitive behavioral therapy offered via a telephone call improved sleep, fatigue and, “to a lesser degree,” pain among older adults with insomnia and osteoarthritis, according to researchers. “Scalable delivery models of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), an effective treatment, are needed for widespread implementation, particularly in rural and underserved populations lacking ready access to insomnia treatment,” Susan M. McCurry, PhD, a research professor at the University of Washington School of Nursing, and colleagues wrote in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Among patients with radiographic knee osteoarthritis, NSAID use was associated with an increased loss of medial minimum joint space width compared with other medications, according to data published in Rheumatology.

High-intensity strength training failed to significantly reduce knee pain, or knee joint compressive forces, at 18 months when compared to low-intensity regimens or attention control in patients with osteoarthritis, according to data.

Grip, key and tip pinch strength was reduced during 6-year follow-up in patients with carpometacarpal joint changes, osteoarthritis and volar beak recession, results presented at the Orthopaedic Research Society Annual Meeting showed.

Antidepressants are mostly ineffective for treating back pain, but may be beneficial for osteoarthritis and sciatica, according to data published in BMJ.

Researchers studying a Belgian cohort of patients with hand osteoarthritis observed evidence of radiological progression over 2 years even without clinical worsening, according to data published in Arthritis Research & Therapy.

Intra-articular injection of amniotic membrane/umbilical cord particulate may reduce pain and improve function in patients with moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis, according to published results.