Osteoarthritis and Bone Disorders News

Investigators found “meniscal symptoms,” such as catching or locking, have no association with differential pain outcomes after surgery vs. physical therapy in patients with meniscal tears and knee osteoarthritis.

Digital treatment of knee osteoarthritis may improve pain and function compared with routine self-managed usual care, according to published results.

Patient voices are growing louder in rheumatology. The calls for shared decision-making and a dual target strategy of assessing disease remission are increasing with a body of evidence showing that when patient needs are met, outcomes improve.

Arthritis and hypertension are the two most prevalent chronic conditions among U.S. veterans aged 25 years and older, according to data published by CDC researchers in National Health Statistics Report.

The simultaneous use of oral glucocorticoids and proton pump inhibitors is associated with a 1.6-fold increased risk for osteoporotic fractures in patients aged 50 years and older with rheumatoid arthritis, according to data.

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.