Daily Rx

Disabled by weight: obese with arthritis

Being obese is just plain unhealthy. All that excess fat can make outcomes worse for patients with any of a number of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis.

A recent study showed that morbidly obese patients with inflammatory polyarthritis - which includes diseases like rheumatoid arthritis - had higher levels of disability than arthritis patients who were not obese. Morbidly obese patients had about twice the odds of disability compared to those who were not obese

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New rheumatoid arthritis drug performs

Painful swollen joints are familiar to those with rheumatoid arthritis. But patients may have another option if they don't respond well to typically used medications.

A recent industry-funded study found that combining a new drug called tofacitinib with an existing prescription drug improved symptoms in those with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition that involves inflammation, pain and swelling in the joints.

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Strong muscles better for function in OA

Osteoarthritis of the knee can get in the way of physical activity. For people with this condition, strong muscles may be the key to maintaining strong physical function.

In a recent study, people with severe knee osteoarthritis had more trouble on a test of physical ability when they had poor muscle strength in their legs. Their performance on the test was not influenced by pain, age or body weight.

The authors said that muscle strengthening treatments may help people with severe osteoarthritis of the knee.

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Vitamin K for healthy knees

Vitamin K supports bones and cartilage. So researchers wanted to know if low vitamin K was linked to joint damage and osteoarthritis.

The study found that people who had low levels of vitamin K in their blood were about 33 percent more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis.

Also, people with low vitamin K levels were about two times more likely to show signs of damaged cartilage in their knees.

The authors suggested that vitamin K may be important for keeping knees healthy.

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Quit the bottle to build happy bones

Avoiding alcohol combined with regular exercise can help men build the bones lost from alcoholism, a new study has found.

The amount of osteocalcin, which is a protein in the bones and teeth, increased over the eight-week period as men continued to avoid alcohol.

This means that there was a "higher rate of bone formation during continuous abstinence," the authors said in their study.

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Embracing the brace

Knees are only meant to bend forward and backward. If a knee pops and locks up with major pain, something serious is going on there, and it's most likely an ACL injury.

The injuries often need surgery to reconstruct the ligament, followed by therapy to help rehabilitate the knee.

It does not lower pain, protect from reinjuring the knee or improve the stability of the knee. Rather, braces add an unnecessary expense to the recovery.

Vitamins and other supplements also don't help in the healing process.

Beginning physical therapy shortly after surgery, ideally within a few days after, can bring great outcomes for patients.

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Does rehab help before joint replacement?

Before going through knee replacement surgery, patients often do some rehab for their aching joint. That is, they try to improve pain and function before surgery. But does this pre-surgery rehab improve outcomes?

According to recent research, pre-surgery rehabilitation seemed to do little to improve pain, function and motion after knee replacement surgery.

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More magnesium, less arthritis

What you put in your body can affect your risk of disease, even your risk of osteoarthritis. If you're trying to prevent this "wear-and-tear" type of arthritis, you may want to eat more almonds and spinach.

Eating more magnesium - a mineral found in many green vegetables, beans and nuts - it may lower the risk of knee osteoarthritis.

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Most damage, most gain in knee replacement

If you have knee osteoarthritis, you can take steps to prevent permanent damage. For those with the damage done, joint replacement surgery may relieve pain and boost knee function.

Osteoarthritis patients with the most joint damage before surgery may be the most likely to benefit from total knee replacement.

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MRI may spot arthritis unseen by X-ray

Osteoarthritis happens when joints and joint tissues wear down over time. Usually, doctors use X-ray imaging to see this joint damage. But another imaging technique may give doctors a better picture.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) spotted many signs of knee osteoarthritis in patients that had no signs of knee osteoarthritis in X-ray images.

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