Osteoarthritis

Nonphysician health professionals should discuss adequate nutrition, including daily recommended calcium and vitamin D intake, with patients aged 50 years and older to help prevent and manage fragility fractures, according to new EULAR “points to consider” published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

There was no associated between long-term, strenuous physical activity and incident radiographic knee osteoarthritis, according to data published in JAMA Network Open.

Patients with knee osteoarthritis experienced improved pain at 24 weeks after wearing specially designed footwear affixed with individually calibrated convex pods on the outsoles, according to data published in JAMA.

Obesity and the use of analgesics prior to hip or knee replacement are the strongest predictors of postoperative analgesic use among patients with osteoarthritis, according to data published in Arthritis Research & Therapy.

The Arthritis Foundation is more than 70 years old, but its newest theme — Live Yes! — is in its infancy. Historically, the organization has zeroed in on key pillars, including access to care, advocacy in government and attention to the often-overlooked juvenile arthritis. Yet, the Foundation also understood the importance of interpersonal connections and support networks to patient well-being: An idea that laid the foundation for an online community that simultaneously educates and empowers patients, while cultivating their input to develop solutions for issues common to the arthritis population.

Yearly zoledronic acid infusions did not significantly reduce cartilage volume loss in 24 months among patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis and bone marrow lesions compared with placebo, according to published results.

Patients with knee osteoarthritis who participated in physical therapy demonstrated less pain and functional disability at 1 year compared with those who received glucocorticoid injection, according to data published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Among patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis, treatment with 5-mg doses of tanezumab statistically significantly improved pain, physical function and Patient’s Global Assessment of OA scores, while 2.5-mg doses achieved just two endpoints, according to data published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

For patients with osteonecrosis, primary total hip arthroplasty with highly cross-linked polyethylene liner has shown excellent implant survivorship and functional effects, according to study results.

Among 40 patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis, results of a prospective cohort study showed next-generation sequencing identified at least one positive organism that was native to the patient’s knee in 12 patients. Furthermore, 4.6 organisms were identified, on average, in patients with positive next-generation sequencing results.