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More and more people in the United States suffer from knee arthritis.

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By Mitch LeslieAug. 14, 2017 , 3:10 PM

Knees hurting? You wouldnt be alone. The prevalence of knee arthritis among people in the United States has doubled since the start of World War II, according to an unusual study of more than 2500 skeletons, including some dating as far back as 6000 years. Even after researchers corrected for the recent growth in U.S. waistlines and life spans, the increase still held, meaningsay scientiststhat other, still unknown, factors are causing more people to suffer from aching knees.

This is really important work, says biomechanist Louis DeFrate of the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, who wasnt connected to the study. Knee arthritis is one of the leading causes of disability, he says, and the findings may help researchers better understand why more and more people are developing it.

Today, almost 20% of people in the United States over 45 years old suffer from knee osteoarthritis, in which joint cartilage breaks down; the odds of developing it climb as we get older. Scientists have long suspected that number has risen in recent generations. Because most Americans are living significantly longer than their grandparents, researchers have speculated that the graying population could be one culprit. Another joint-straining suspect is obesity, which now affects more than one-third of adults in the United States, up from 13% in the early 1960s.

To tease out the influences of weight and age, paleoanthropologists Ian Wallace and Daniel Lieberman of Harvard University and their colleagues examined nearly 2600 skeletons that had been saved for research or teaching. The team sorted the skeletons, which came from middle-aged and elderly people, into three groups. Nearly 1600 belonged to people who died between 1905 and 1940. Another 819 were from individuals who died between 1976 and 2015. And 176 were from Native Americans who lived between 300 and 6000 years ago.

The smooth, lighter patch on the left side of the upper bone is a sign of osteoarthritis.

Heli Maijanen

To diagnose arthritis, the scientists checked for the smooth patches that form when cartilage in the knee joint erodes and allows the upper and lower leg bones to grind against one another. When you see this polish on a bone, you know there was no cartilage there, Wallace says. Using that criterion, the researchers compared the two modern groups and determined thatthe rate of knee osteoarthritis has more than doubled since 1940, from 6% to 16%, they report today in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Even among the Native Americansfor whom the scientists didnt have weight datathe arthritis rate was about 8%. There was never a time when knee osteoarthritis didnt exist, Wallace says.

When the team factored out the effects of weight and age in the two modern groups, knee arthritis was still more than twice as common in the group of people who died after 1976, suggesting other factors are involved. What changed to touch off the explosion in knee arthritis cases is still a mystery, Lieberman says.

One modern bad habit that may be partly to blame is inactivity. Because we spend more time sitting and looking at screens, from smartphones to TVs, our leg muscles and cartilage might be weaker, causing our joints to break down faster. Wallace says that the team is testing this hypothesis by studying guinea pigs, which are the only lab animals that naturally develop knee arthritis, and the famous long-distance Tarahumara runners of Mexico.

The study is important because it emphasizes that the causes of knee arthritis are complex, says bioarchaeologist Elizabeth Weiss of San Jose State University in California. Paleopathologist Anne Grauer of Loyola University Chicago in Illinois agrees and says that our remedies will also have to be. People losing weight isnt going to solve the problem.

Continue reading here:
Knee arthritis in Americans has doubled since 1940 - Science Magazine

Osteoarthritis afflicts some 27 million Americans, and that number will certainly grow with the increase in obesity, the current emphasis on lifelong physical activity and the aging of the population. It is a degenerative joint disease that occurs when the protective cartilage on the ends of bones and often the surface of the bones themselves wear down, causing pain, stiffness, instability and disability that can interfere with work and mobility and diminish quality of life.

The Iowa team noted that arthritis will eventually develop in more than 40 percent of people who seriously injure the ligaments (the stabilizing bands that connect bones to one another); the meniscus (the crescent-shaped cartilage that cushions the knee and certain other joints), or the articular surface of a joint. People with a history of trauma to the knee, for example, are three to six times more likely to develop arthritis in that knee. Even without an acute injury, highly repetitive impact on a joint can damage the articular cartilage.

This may help to explain why I ended up with bone-on-bone arthritis and had to replace both knees at age 63. Id sustained three ligament injuries (while skiing) and after years of running and singles tennis, the meniscus in both knees had shredded. Although I did the recommended physical therapy after each injury, I now know that I was not sufficiently diligent about maintaining the strength and flexibility of the supporting muscles and other tissues that might have better protected my knees for years longer.

Recognizing how common a scenario this is, a prestigious group of athletic trainers has issued a call for a more aggressive approach to both preventing and managing post-traumatic arthritis among physically active people. Although athletic trainers most often treat team players and elite athletes, they also work at physical therapy and rehab clinics where they often see joint damage among recreational athletes like me.

They pointed out in a consensus statement in the Journal of Athletic Training that arthritis should no longer be considered a disease that affects only the elderly.

Increasing evidence demonstrates that young and middle-aged adults are suffering from osteoarthritis as well, the statement said. More than half of adults with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis are younger than 65.

In fact, as Joseph M. Hart, an athletic trainer who conducts clinical research at the University of Virginia, and his colleagues wrote in the journal, A 17-year-old athlete who tears her anterior cruciate ligament could develop osteoarthritis before she turns 30, potentially leading to chronic pain and disability. Damage to this ligament, in the center of the knee, is the most common injury among young athletes, especially girls, they wrote.

Jeffrey B. Driban, an athletic trainer at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said that one person in three who injures the anterior cruciate ligament will have X-ray evidence of osteoarthritis within 10 years whether or not the injury is repaired surgically.

Dr. Driban and co-authors pointed out that some sports soccer, elite-level long-distance running, competitive weight lifting and wrestling are associated with a higher risk of knee injuries.

A persons risk of injury can be reduced by having deficits in muscle strength, balance and stability evaluated and treated, Dr. Hart said in an interview. However, he added, not all injuries can be prevented, and unless the initial injury is properly treated, it can lead to additional injuries to the same joint or other joints, increasing the chance that arthritis will develop early in life.

Dr. Driban said in an interview that sports participants who sustain a knee injury can minimize the risk of reinjury and arthritis by not rushing back into activity or trying to play through pain. They must strengthen the muscles that support the joint the quads, hamstrings and hip muscles. Its important to think about the entire lower extremity, not just the knee.

Following an injury, an athletic trainer, rehabilitation specialist or physical therapist who specializes in orthopedics can evaluate a persons muscle strength, endurance, balance and movement quality, then guide recovery with a structured rehab program that is maintained for six to nine months, Dr. Hart said.

It is also important to continue to pursue an active lifestyle, said Abby C. Thomas of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. You may have to modify the activities you do, but you have to stay active to maintain strength and cardiovascular fitness without putting repetitive stress on a joint thats already injured. If your knee hurts and you cant run, maybe get on a bike or swim, activities that place less stress on the knees.

Dont sit around on the couch because running hurts, Dr. Thomas said. Try walking, or something different, but dont give up on physical activity.

Lifelong activity is also important to prevent weight gain, since every extra pound places disproportionate stress on the knees. All the authors emphasized that pursuing a healthy lifestyle is crucial for everyone, not just elite athletes and those who play on school teams.

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When Sports Injuries Lead to Arthritis in Joints - New York Times

Laura Morgan, WUSA 3:47 PM. EDT August 14, 2017

Exercise can help alleviate the pain of Psoriatic Arthritis (Photo: Custom)

WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA9) - Youve seen ads on TV to treat the skin condition Psoriasis. But many people are not aware of Psoriatic Arthritis. About thirty percent of people suffering from Psoriasis develop Psoriatic Arthritis. This is an especially painful form of arthritis that causes inflammation of the joints. Forty to fifty percent of affected people can end up having a disability if theyre not treated in time.

A proper diagnosis is instrumental in getting treated. Theres no blood test to detect it, but specialists check if the patient has any of six different ailments. These include Psoriasis, swollen joints, tendonitis, swollen digits, and back pain. Lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking and losing weight can help treat the arthritis, but those with more severe conditions may need extra care.

Luckily a revolutionary treatment called biologic therapies is now available, according to Dr. Evan L. Siegel at Arthritis and Rheumatism Associates, P.C. These therapies intervene with a specific part of the immune system, slow down the inflammation, and also stop the progression of the disease, says Siegel. The biologic therapies can be administered by intravenous infusion in a comfortable setting. Early treatment with those types of medications can really be effective in slowing down disabilities. To schedule an appointment with a rheumatologist, visit http://www.ariseinfusion.com/WUSA9.

This article is sponsored by Arise Infusion Therapy Services

For more health information, follow Great Day Washington on Facebook and Twitter!

2017 WUSA-TV

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How to treat Psoriatic Arthritis - W*USA 9

There are more than 10 million people in the UK living with arthritis. For many, symptoms start to develop in their 40s, which can have a huge impact on family life, especially if theyre a parent. The toughest thing about being a parent with arthritis, says mother-of-two Charlotte Woodward, is being forced to let someone else do your job. When my children want to do something high energy and I cant do it, I have to sit back and let somebody else take over, she explains. Thats hard, watching someone else do what I should be doing with them.

Charlotte, 29, was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis at the age of just 18 months. Ive lived with it ever since, she says, and its just getting worse. I have arthritis in every joint in my body. The pain is constant, really I dont get much relief from it.

That pain, together with problems she has with movement and the fatigue she suffers due to the illness and her medication, has a huge impact on family life with her six-year-old daughter, Lexie, and two-year-old son, Theo.

Theo wants to be picked up all the time and I cant do it, Charlotte explains. Things like making dinner, sometimes it has to be something easy like a bowl of cereal because I cant make them [anything else]. I have to put on a brave face for them. You know you have to keep going because youre their mother and they need you, but at the same time you just want to rest.

The effect of arthritis on family life is often overlooked, but it takes a significant physical and emotional toll on relationships. Be that from pain or mobility problems that stop parents and grandparents being as active as they want to with toddlers and children, to the side effects of certain medication affecting family planning.

According to research from Arthritis Research UK, more than half of respondents (53%) say that they felt like they were a nuisance to their family. While a study conducted by Revealing Reality for Arthritis Research UK found more than a quarter (28%) of people living with arthritis say the condition had a negative impact on physical intimacy with their partner.

Father-of-three Jamie Wakeman, 32, says his wife has been amazing in the face of his diagnoses of osteoarthritis three years ago and then rheumatoid arthritis 18 months later. If we didnt have such a good marriage its hard to see how we would get through, he says. For six to nine months she was having to get me up out of bed in the morning: she was dressing me, getting me something to eat, and sorting out my drugs so I could go to work that day. Weve been together years and shes seen me change massively.

Jamie was once a fanatical sportsman, enjoying football, running, cycling and swimming. Now all of that activity has stopped, he says. It completely changes your relationship with [your children] when theyre so young. Especially the boys, playing football and those types of activities I cant really walk more than a couple of hundred yards without being in a lot of pain.

It takes over every element of your kids and your wifes lives, because everything is determined by how I feel.

Jamies wife, Hayley Wakeman, 32, agrees his condition has changed their familys lives massively. Day to day, going out is a no go a lot of the time because he cant walk, she says. Or I have to leave him at home while I do stuff with the kids, so theyre not missing out. So it has been quite tough.

She adds: Ive had quite a lot of trouble mentally we both have struggled a bit. Theres been a lot of tears, but I think were getting there with it now.

Jamie can be up during the night with the pain, she says, and sometimes works early shifts, which means hes up at 3am and may need help to get dressed. Then shell go back to sleep for a couple of hours before getting up to get the three children to school and herself to work. It has made us stronger in one sense, but some days are hard, especially when youre tired, she says.

Its a bit of grief. Youve lost your husband in one sense. Hes gone from being a fitness fanatic doing triathlons and football and running most nights to basically being sat on the sofa and struggling to move.

For Julie Hutchins, 56, whos had osteoarthritis for around 10 years, the impact is wide-ranging. She has grandchildren aged seven, three and one, and had to give up looking after the eldest one because of arthritis.

It was OK when he was really tiny, but as soon as he got a bit older and I had to bend down to pick him up, or get on the floor, it just became impossible, she says. I was just really upset because I enjoyed doing it.

She feels bad too that shes not able to share as much as she once could with her husband. Were both the same age, but hes obviously a lot fitter than me, Julie says. I feel like Im holding him back all the time. I try to do things but then I suffer the next day.

Olivia Belle, director of external affairs at Arthritis Research UK, says: The impact arthritis has on family life can be enormous. It takes away from those day-to-day moments in family life that so many of us take for granted, not just from those with arthritis but their families as well. We want society to recognise the real impact that arthritis has on every one of us so that no family loses out to the condition.

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'I feel like I'm holding my husband back': the hidden impact of arthritis on families - The Guardian

The first rule while bowling the last over of a cricket match is not to concede extras. But one would hardly be under pressure when they have 35 runs to defend, right?

Wrong!

Dorchester-on-Thames CC's scorebook entry for the final over. Image courtesy: Twitter @DorchesterCC

A 54-year old arthritis patient smashed 40 runs in the final over of a village match in England to take his side Dorchester-on-Thames home against Swinbrook in a Division Four Oxfordshire Cricket Association club match on 12 August.

Mihai Cucos, despite having the cushion of 35 runs, overstepped on the first ball and 54-year-old Steve McComb smoked it for a maximum. The first legitimate delivery also went for a six and reduced the equation to: 22 runs from five balls.

Cucos then bowled a dot. However, McComb responded with a boundary to put the bowler on the back foot, and he eventually bowled a second no ball in the final over.

Needing 13 runs off three balls, McComb slammed two successive sixes. Just like a normal captain would do, Swinbrook's skipper brought all his fielders inside the circle to save the single.

But McComb, who must have been high on confidence by then, smashedhis third consecutive six to complete an unbelievable victory.

How the action of the final over unfolded:

35 from six

Ball one: 6nb (7)

Need 28 from six

Ball one: 6 (13)

Need 22 off five

Ball two: Dot (13)

Need 22 off four

Ball three: 4 (17)

Need 18 off three

Ball four: 4nb (22)

Need 13 off three

Ball four: 6 (28)

Need 7 off two

Ball five: 6 (34)

Need 1 off one

Ball six: 6 (40)

Published Date: Aug 14, 2017 10:44 pm | Updated Date: Aug 14, 2017 10:44 pm

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54-year old arthritis patient slams 40 runs in final over to take his side home in English village cricket game - Firstpost

by LINDSAY IADELUCA, NBC 10 NEWS

When you think of arthritis you might not think children of children. But one father in particular has spent over a decade dedicating his time to raising money for just that, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis or JRA, after his daughter Kelsey was diagnosed at 3 years old.

"First thought is arthritis is for senior citizens. I never realized there is over 300,000 children that have it. I never knew that. So, it was kind of eye-opening, Edd Pedro, organizer for the Fight for a Cure Wiffle Ball Tournament told NBC 10 News.

"I never thought it would become this big. It was just a couple friends and we put a few teams together to raise some money, Pedro said.

Garrett Gibson is 22 years old now. He was diagnosed with JRA at 3 years old.

"The biggest thing I remember is going into the first grade I had to wear wrist casts because of my growing and stuff, Gibson said.

"Especially in the winter. Sports for me were just very, very, hard. I'd have to wear double, triple gloves. Catching a ball or anything like that, picking things up off the ground, were very hard for me. Even to this day, in the winter, I have to have someone do it for me because my hands clamp up, Gibson continued.

As a child, Garrett remembers doing special exercises like picking up coins and beads to improve the dexterity in this fingers. But he says things have improved.

"It definitely gets better. I used to take a bunch of medicines, six pills a day and then I got to wind down off it and I don't even take any medicine at all anymore, Garrett said.

The tournament has gone 14 years. They have raised $327,000 for the arthritis foundation.

Read more here:
Local group raises money for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in Pawtucket - Turn to 10

August 14, 2017

Nursing assistants and attendants may have a slightly higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis than women in other professions, a new study shows.

Swedish researchers studied more than 3,500 people with the disease, in which the body's immune system attacks the joints, and compared them to 5,600 people without it. The results, published Thursday in Arthritis Care & Research, found that people in some professions may have a higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis than others.

Among women, those who worked as assistant nurses and attendants were found to have a moderately increased risk of developing the disease, compared to women workers in other fields.

The study found that men who worked manufacturing jobs, such as bricklayers or electrical workers, had much higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis than men in administrative or professional fields.

The reason for the increased risk among some professions could be chalked up to work-related environmental factors, including noxious airborne agents such as solvents and asbestos, researchers said.

It is important that findings on preventable risk factors are spread to employees, employers, and decision-makers in order to prevent disease by reducing or eliminating known risk factors, said lead researcher Anna Ilar, MSc.

The study adds to previous research that has linked direct care worker positions with a higher risk of illness and injury. While injury rates for long-term care workers have been declining in recent years, the sector remains one of the top industries in terms of high amounts of occupational injuries.

Read more here:
Study finds nursing assistants have higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis than women in other jobs - McKnight's Long Term Care News

Atascadero resident Jenn Foss was scrolling through her Facebook feed when she first learned of the California Coast Classic, a 525-mile bike ride along Highway 1 that benefits the Arthritis Foundation.

Its a cause that carries extra weight with Foss, a nurse at Wilshire Hospice in San Luis Obispo who sees the debilitating effects of arthritis on a daily basis. The 30-year-old Foss even deals with her own arthritis, stemming from a dirt bike crash when she was a teenager.

My mom also had to have knee surgeries on both knees when she was fairly young, Foss said in an email to The Tribune. And now working in hospice, geriatric arthritis pain is something that is a very real discomfort that many of the patients struggle with.

The 17th annual California Coast Classic which begins Sept. 9 in San Francisco and ends Sept. 16 in Los Angeles offered Foss and hundreds of others the opportunity to help raise funds needed to find a cure for arthritis.

Each rider must pay a registration fee and raise a minimum of $3,500 to join the tour. Foss has her own donation page set up online (donations are tax deductible) and had raised more than $1,400 as of Aug. 5 42 days before the race begins.

Foss also has two local fundraisers planned this month.

On Aug. 12, Foss will host a hotdog BBQ fundraiser and silent auction in the Grocery Outlet parking lot in Atascadero.

And from 8 a.m. until noon on Aug. 27, the Foss family plans to host a yard sale at their farm, located at 3300 Traffic Way in Atascadero.

As far as training and preparation for the bike ride, Foss said she fits in as much as she can while keeping an extremely tight schedule.

All I can say is thank goodness this is not a race everyone can do this in their own pace, Foss said. So far my mileage and timing is good. Im just working on a good diet, staying strong, keeping up with my cardio and being kind to my body.

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SLO County woman to bike 525 miles to raise money for Arthritis Foundation - The San Luis Obispo Tribune

In fact, people reported more knee and hip pain when the weather was good, suggesting it is activity, not cold or rain that affects sufferers most.

Arthritis, causing achy joints affects ten million Britons and is said to be fuelled by the damp climate.

But people's activity levels, which rise with the temperature, are likelier than the weather to trigger online searches for knee and hip pain, say scientists.

Google hits for arthritis over a period of five years had no discernible link with the elements, said Professor Scott Telfer.

He said: "You hear people with arthritis say they can tell when the weather is changing.

"But with past studies there's only been vague associations, nothing very concrete, and our findings align with those."

In fact searches for knee-and-hip-pain increased in tandem with temperatures - until it got uncomfortably hot.

And rainy days tended to slightly reduce internet traffic for both conditions. This inferred "changes in physical activity levels" were primarily responsible.

Prof Telfer, a researcher in orthopaedics and sports medicine at Washington University in St Louis, said: "We haven't found any direct mechanism that links ambient temperature with pain."

His interest in using internet data stems from the fact web searches are increasingly people's first response to experiencing adverse health symptoms.

He said some people with achy joints and arthritis swear weather influences their pain.

So in the first study of its kind across 45 major US cities he found sunshine, rainfall and temperature are indeed associated with joint pain, but not in the way you'd expect.

Within the study's focus span of 23 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit searches rose steadily. Knee-pain peaked at 73 degrees and were less frequent at higher temperatures.

Hip-pain searches peaked at 83 degrees and then tailed off. Rain actually dampened search volumes for both.

The findings published in PLOS ONE show people's activity level is a bigger risk than the weather to cause pain that spurs online searches.

Prof Telfer said: "We were surprised by how consistent the results were throughout the range of temperatures in cities across the country."

His team used Google Trends for how the number of searchers for arthritis or hip and knee pain fluctuated with the weather. Searches related to stomach pain were also calculated as a control.

Daily summaries of local weather data from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2015 included temperature, rainfall, relative humidity and barometric pressure.

These are factors previously suggested as associated with increases in musculoskeletal pain.

Among all the variables only temperature and rainfall were found to have statistically significant associations for knee-and-hip-pain but not arthritis.

Prof Telfer said:

"What we think is a much more likely explanation is the fact people are more active on nice days - so more prone to have overuse and acute injuries from that and to search online for relevant information.

"That's our hypothesis for what we'll explore next."

The stomach-pain searches rose at low and high temperature extremes and ebbed in mild temperatures.

This was a very different pattern from the knee-and-hip-pain searches - backing the findings.

Excerpt from:
Does the rain affect arthritis pain? Bad weather linked to joint pain could be a MYTH - Express.co.uk

COLUMBUS, Ga. 1 in 5 people over age 18 has doctor-diagnosed arthritis or more than 50 million adults. Arthritis wears down the cartilage, giving the bones in certain joints nothing to cushion them so they rub together and cause a lot of pain. Doctors can replace these arthritic joints in the fingers as well as the knees and hips.

Dr. Sean Blake is the director of the Hand Center at St. Francis Orthopaedic Institute. He says arthritis can make common everyday tasks painful.

Folding laundry, doing dishes, opening jars, shaking hands, opening the car door, turning the key. All those things are things people think they just have to deal with. Its just aging. But actually, we can actually help them with some good relief of pain, said Dr. Blake.

Those painful joints can be replaced.

Most common spots that well put joints in are what we call the Metatarsal Phalangea ljoints, your knuckles , or the middle knuckle which is the Proximal Interphalangeal Joint, said Dr. Blake.

Only regional anesthesia is used for the surgery, paralyzing the arm for about 12 hours.

We go on the back of the hand and make an incision, a Curvilinear incision so its curved so it actually doesnt scar as much and we literally have to cut out the piece of bone.

And insert the implant. The patient goes home the same day, wearing a splint. Physical therapy is required. Healing takes about 10 TO 12 weeks.

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Arthritic joints can be replaced in the hands - WRBL

DETROIT - Lauren Reed is a pretty typical 23 year old woman. She very active and she loves to travel and explore, but just a few years ago she had trouble even getting up and out of bed.

"I totally shut down at one point and I wasnt motivated at all to do anything," explains Reed.

The problems started when she was injured playing basketball when she was 11 years old.

"That just sparked everything up. All my joints inflamed and I knew there was a bigger problem," she says.

After years of pain and few answers, Dr. Bernard Rubin diagnosed her with juvenile arthritis.

"She had developed severe arthritis and we needed to treat her aggressively," explains Dr. Rubin.

They used pills and injections, and less than a year ago Reed had not one, but two hip replacements.

"About three weeks in between and I was back to work in 7 weeks," says Reed. Her case is a very rare one.

Dr. Rubin explains, Its unusual to have arthritis as a child. There are only a few hundred thousand cases in the United States."

Surgery is scary, but it also brought reed the relief shes been looking for almost half her life

"It was terrible. I'd say nine out of ten pains. I couldn't stand for long periods of time. I couldnt play sports. Now I'm doing whatever, waking up feeling fantastic, going to work being more active. The surgeries just changed my life totally."

Now she plays basketball and works out at the gym, all while balancing work and school.

Reed is scheduled for another surgery -- a knee replacement -- in the next six months or so.

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23-year-old Lauren Reed not letting juvenile arthritis, two hip replacements slow her down - WXYZ

A dad-of-two has a spring in his step after being one of the first people in Yorkshire to have a space-age jelly bean fitted to his big toe to end his arthritis agony.

Mick Wood, 53, found himself at the cutting-edge of medical science when his toe was fitted with a Cartiva implant a spacer made of slippery, organic polymer.

It was fitted at Spire Elland by consultant orthopaedic surgeon Mr Kurt Haendlmayer who said: I call it a jelly bean for the big toe because that is what it looks and feels like.

It is just a squidgy bean-type thing that functions in a similar way to natural cartilage and allows much more movement in the toe than a traditional fusion operation would.

Mick had previously had a conventional fusion operation on his left big toe three years ago, so when he found himself in a similar situation with the right toe he thought the same procedure would be on the cards.

However, Mr Haendlmayer suggested that for someone fit and active, the new implant would produce better results.

I was a bit apprehensive at first it all seemed a bit Tomorrows World-ish for me, said Mick.

But Mr Haendlmayer gave me lots of information about the success of similar operations in America and it didnt take me long to decide I was happy with the whole thing.

It was obviously a new procedure because when I went in for the operation there were a load of other people in there simply to observe it taking place I felt like I was a bit of a celebrity!

In a conventional fusion procedure, the additional bone build-up around the joint (osteophytes) and the usually very ragged, degenerated joint surfaces, are scraped away before the toe joint is secured with screws and a plate, making it immobile. Up until recently that was the gold standard of toe surgery.

Mr Haendlmayer added: This does alleviate the pain caused by the arthritis but, on the down-side, it means the toe is now held rigid by the metalwork which, in turn, limits the amount of movement possible by the toe.

With the Cartiva implant the extra bone is also cleared, but instead of making the joint immobile, we fix metal rods in both the toe and the socket and introduce the implant which cushions the area where the toe and the foot meet, just as normal cartilage would.

Mick, from Pontefract, is delighted with the results, saying he was now virtually pain-free and able to run, kneel and even drive for long distances.

To be honest, I wasnt unhappy with the previous fusion operation it certainly relieved a lot of the pain but this one seems much, much better and the movement I have in the toe is unbelievable.

I might be one of the first in this area to have a jelly bean toe but I dont think I will be the last.

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How a 'space-age jelly bean' cured my arthritis - Huddersfield Examiner

It affects more than 690,000 people in the UK, of which over 500,000 are women and around three-quarters are of working age.

People with rheumatoid arthritis experience a range of symptoms, including pain and swelling in the joints, tiredness and depression which can affect their daily lives.

The condition cannot be cured but can be treated.

Experts have revealed patients who smoke or are overweight however see fewer improvements in their symptoms.

A study by American and Canadian researchers found smoking and being overweight is more difficult for patients with rheumatoid arthritis to achieve optimal control of inflammation and symptoms.

Researchers from collected data on more than 1,100 patients.

"Early, aggressive treatment to achieve remission is the primary goal of therapy and can be best achieved early on when treating patients with newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis, as early disease control is associated with improved long-term outcomes," said Vivian Bykerk, senior investigator and director of the Inflammatory Arthritis Centre of Excellence at Hospital for Special Surgery.

"We have previously shown that individuals with excess weight are less likely to achieve sustained remission in the first three years after diagnosis.

Here we explore the impact of smoking and being overweight or obese on the ability to achieve good control of symptoms and inflammation in men and women with rheumatoid arthritis."

Researchers at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York analysed more than 1,109 patients who were being treated with methotrexate and other arthritis drugs.

The majority of patients were female, but among the women, 31 per cent were overweight, 32 per cent were obese and 15 per cent smoked. Among the males, 44 per cent were overweight and 35 per cent were obese and 22 per cent currently smoked.

Experts found less symptom improvement was also seen in patients who were overnight or obese compared with those of a healthy weight.

Current smokers also saw less symptom relief compared to nonsmoker over time.

The finding revealed the most dramatic differences in patients were seen in those who were overweight, or obese and smoked.

These patients had considerably worse outcomes over time compared to nonsmoking patients with a healthy weight.

"These results contribute to growing evidence of how lifestyle impacts how well patients may respond to treatment and the potential value of referring them to proven community-based smoking cessation and weight management programs," said Dr Bykerk.

DOES ARTHRITIS GET WORSE IN WINTER?

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Rheumatoid arthritis - symptoms will not improve if patients do THIS - Express.co.uk

Scientists from IIT Guwahati have synthesised mats made of silk-proteins and bioactive glass fibres that they believe can assist the growth of bone cells and repair worn-out joints in arthritis patients.

The disease most commonly affects joints in the knees, hips, hands, feet, and spine and is marked by the breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bones. Left untreated, it can cause severe pain, swelling, and eventually limited range of movement.

Current clinical treatment methods are limited by lack of viable tissue substitutes to aid the repair process, Biman B. Mandal from institute said.

Joint disease

To develop a suitable tissue substitute, scientists, including those from the University College London in the U.K., looked into the natural bone-cartilage interface and tried to mimic it synthetically in lab conditions.

Knee osteoarthritis is the most common bone and joint disease in India. However, Mr. Mandal pointed out that the available clinical grafts were expensive.

Enhances healing

We used silk, a natural protein to fabricate electrospun mats to mimic the cartilage portion and bioactive glass to develop a composite material, similar to the natural tissue, said Mr. Mandal.

For the mat, scientists used a kind of silk easily available in northeast India.

Muga [Assam] silk is endowed with properties that enhance the healing process, Mr. Mandal said.

The researchers adopted a green fabrication approach for the developing the silk composite mats electrospinning. It is similar to knitting, except that it utilises electric high-voltage force to draw ultrafine fibres, Mr. Mandal said.

A layer by layer approach was followed, where the bone layer was first formed, on top of which the cartilage layer was developed. The resulting composite mat resembled the architecture of the bone-cartilage interface.

To assist the regenerative process, the mats would be grafted in the defected joint with cells harvested from the patient.

Go here to see the original:
Silk mats that could treat arthritis - The Hindu

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) isn't the same as grandma's stiff joints (aka osteoarthritis). It's an autoimmune disease that causes a persons immune system to attack their joints by mistake, causing pain and swellingand it most often shows up between the ages of 30 and 50, per the American College of Rheumatology.

RA isnt super common among all cases of arthritisabout 1.3 million people are affected by it, according to the American College of Rheumatology. But for those who do have it, it can be debilitating. Heres what you need to know.

We dont really know the cause, even to date, Orrin Troum, M.D., a rheumatologist at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, tells SELF. What we do know is that it's an autoimmune disease and that there is evidence that it runs in families. According to Dr. Troum, there are some factors that have been linked to RA, including smoking cigarettes, poor dental hygiene, and genetics.

Your genes dont actually cause you to develop rheumatoid arthritis, but they can make you more susceptible to environmental factors, like bacterial or viral infections, that could potentially trigger the disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. In other words, having a genetic predisposition doesn't mean that you'll get RA; rather, it means you inherited genetic variations from your parents that could make it harder for your body to fend off infection (which can then contribute to the development of a disease).

People tend to associate the word arthritis with osteoarthritis, which causes joint inflammation that typically comes from the wear and tear of age. But rheumatoid arthritis is an immune condition that impacts the lining of a person's joints. In some patients, RA can impact the skin (via noduleslumps that form beneath the skinand rashes), cause inflammation in the lungs and whites of the eyes, lead to plaque buildup in the heart and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, and damage the blood vessels, according to the Arthritis Foundation.

Rheumatoid arthritis starts in a persons joints, but it can be felt all over. Symptoms typically include joint pain, tenderness, swelling, or stiffness (especially in the morning), according to the Arthritis Foundation. People can also experience fatigue, loss of appetite, and a low-grade fever, the organization says.

While you have pain in your joints, your whole body [feels] sick, Marcy OKoon, senior director of consumer health at the Arthritis Foundation, tells SELF. People just feel ill. They have fatigue because they dont sleep well due to the pain. The first symptoms tend to happen in the joints of the hands and feet and then spread to other areas of the body, Reddog Sina, D.O., assistant professor in the department of family and community medicine at Michigan State University, tells SELF.

Depending on how severe their condition is, people with RA can feel fine one day and terrible the next. These flare-ups can be unpredictable and debilitating, the Arthritis Foundation says. Some flare-ups have known triggers, like overexerting yourself and having swollen joints the next day, but others have no known cause.

About 75 percent of patients in the U.S. with RA are women, according to the American College of Rheumatology, and 1 to 3 percent of women may get RA in their lifetime. This is true for several other autoimmune conditions like lupus and thyroid disease, Dr. Troum says, and experts arent sure why it happens. Women with RA tend to feel better during pregnancy, only to have a flare-up afterward, O'Koon says. It may have something to do with hormonal differences, but we just dont know, Dr. Troum says.

Since rheumatoid arthritis can get worse with time, early diagnosis is key, Dr. Troum says. But diagnosis can be difficult. Often, patients arent recognized as having rheumatoid arthritis at first and are treated with over-the-counter medications, he says. It's not uncommon for RA patients to originally be misdiagnosed with osteoarthritis, Dr. Troum says.

Once a person receives a diagnosis, verified through a blood test and sometimes an X-ray, theyre often put on disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDS) which can stop the progression of the disease and prevent disability, Dr. Troum says. Typically patients stay on the drugs for life, but they dont have a positive effect on everyone. Its very individually dependent. Some people function incredibly well with medication their entire lives, and others dont, Dr. Sina says. Getting good sleep, eating a healthy diet, and trying to decrease stress may also help people manage their RA, Dr. Troum says.

If youre diagnosed with RA, know this: You can still have a good, active life with proper care. Most of my patients lead normal, healthy, productive lives, Dr. Troum says.

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6 Things You Need to Know About Rheumatoid Arthritis - SELF

Joint pain and stiffness are common complaints doctors hear from patients. Personal health advocate Carrie Bloemers says, arthritis is a common problem that can lead to joint swelling and pain. Its really uncomfortable and its something that people experience and live with daily.

There are natural things patients can do to minimize the pain without taking medication. The foods we eat can increase the inflammation levels in our body so therefore, if we are able to follow an anti-inflammatory diet with antioxidants we can help control some of the symptoms of arthritis and inflammation, said Bloemers.

Antioxidants lower levels of inflammation throughout the body. The goal is to minimize the overall symptoms so the aches and the pains from arthritis so they may have a lower dependency on some of the medications they are taking, said Bloemers.

Foods high in antioxidants like blueberries, grapes, and greens, can help with joint inflammation. But processed foods and foods in high fat and sugar can keep your joints inflamed. Not only do we need our blues and our purples, we need red, yellow, orange, and green nutrients so plant based materials every day too, said Bloemers.

A regular healthy diet can help with day to day pain and swelling. Eating blueberries one time isnt going to make your knee feel better. Its your habits of including a healthy diet high in antioxidants, low in inflammatory foods, like high fatty processed meats or high sugar foods that over time are going to help lower the inflammation in your body, said Bloemers.

In addition to fruits and vegetables, health experts also recommend patients maintain an active lifestyle to prevent joint stiffness.

Read more:
Health Matters: Nutrition for Inflammation and Arthritis - NBC2 News

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --AVACEN Medical (AVACEN) announced partnering with Morulaa HealthTech of Chennai, India to introduce its FDA-cleared AVACEN 100, Class II medical device, in India for treating the joint pain associated with Arthritis which is currently being used in the USA.

According to the World Health Organization, Arthritis affects approximately 200 million people in India. This prevalence is higher than many well-known diseases such as diabetes and cancer. This has a devastating impact on those who suffer from the arthritis and their personal support systems. In addition, arthritis imposes a large economic burden on public and private healthcare providers.

AVACEN recently received CE (Conformit Europenne) Mark approval to market the AVACEN 100 to the European Union's 28 member countries for treating the joint pain associated with Arthritis. AVACEN believes this is the first time a medical device has been approved for treating whole-body arthritis pain.

Currently used in the USA the AVACEN 100 uses an entirely new concept to treat Arthritis pain. It noninvasively and safely infuses heat into the circulatory system forcing the body to dilate peripheral capillaries to radiate off this excess heat.

AVACEN Medical CEO Thomas Muehlbauer described the AVACEN 100 as "the only medical device on the market today able to provide non-invasive, whole-body treatment, using a single point of contact. It is the ideal drug-free and safe alternative for rapid relief of arthritis pain from the inside". Muehlbauer added, "With approximately 2 million safe treatments, we frequently hear reports dramatic results such as being able to return to playing piano, gardening, and chopping vegetables. Even gnarled hand joints have been reported to disappear."

About AVACEN 100 Patents

The US Patent Office has issued 4 Patents to AVACEN which include apparatus claims directed to features of the Heat Therapy apparatus manufactured by AVACEN and method claims directed to specific methods of use, referred to by the company as the AVACEN Treatment Method. The patents also cover innovations embodied in the AVACEN 100 system, which is expected to allow multiple therapeutic uses to alleviate symptoms associated with a circulatory, neurological, lymphatic, or endocrinal dysfunction, or any combination thereof.

Patents have also been issued for China, Australia, Japan, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden and Canada. Patents are pending in India and Hong Kong.

AboutAVACEN Medical

AVACEN Medical is dedicated to the innovation and design of safe, easy to use, noninvasive drug-free alternatives for wound-healing and the management of pain associated with numerous chronic and acute conditions including the temporary relief of minor muscle and joint pain and stiffness associated with arthritis and potentially other conditions that can cause joint pain, such as CRPS, Reynaud's, and Lyme Disease. Founded in 2009, AVACEN Medical is headquartered in San Diego. Contact: Ryan Jeffcoat at (888) 428-2236 x 711 or info@AVACEN.com.

About Morulaa HealthTech

Established by a family with over 100 years of experience in business, Morulaa HealthTech provides turnkey solutions for manufacturers and distributors in the Medical Device sectors. The unique Morulaa model for Product Registration and Distribution, uses in-house regulatory and marketing teams working in-sync with clients to commercialize healthcare products across India and South East Asia. Morulaa HealthTech currently has clients from America, Europe, Asia and Oceania. For more information: http://www.morulaa.com

IMPORTANT NOTES: The AVACEN 100 is not for sale in the U.S. or E.U. for any non-cleared or non-approved indication mentioned in this document.

E.U. CE-Approval: A heat therapy system indicated for the temporary relief of minormuscle and joint pain and stiffness; the temporary relief of joint pain associated witharthritis, muscle spasms, minor strains and sprains;the temporary relief of widespreadpain associated with fibromyalgia; muscular relaxation; andthe temporary increase ofmicrocirculation.

U.S. FDA-Clearance: A heat therapy system indicated for the temporary relief of minor muscle and joint pain and stiffness; the temporary relief of joint pain associated with arthritis; muscle spasms; minor strains and sprains; muscular relaxation; and the temporary increase of local circulation where applied.

View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/avacen-medical-introduces-new-concept-for-treating-arthritis-pain-to-india-300501093.html

SOURCE AVACEN Medical

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AVACEN Medical Introduces New Concept for Treating Arthritis Pain to India - PR Newswire (press release)

A middle-aged tiger has been put down by vets after the endangered predator suffered for years with ARTHRITIS.

Indah, the 12-year-old Sumatran tiger, was a favourite among visitors to Howletts Wild Animal Park with her tiger boyfriend Amir.

But sadly, she was being treated by vets and a leading orthopaedic surgeon but in recent weeks was suffering increasing pain which could not be controlled and had to be put down.

The average Sumatran tiger lives to the age of 24, meaning poor Indah died in the middle of her life, leaving her mate Amir all alone.

A park spokesman said: Following numerous evaluations and discussions, our animal director, vet team and keepers made the difficult decision to euthanise Indah.

This was the most necessary and humane course of action.

Indah was a very special animal, born in 2005 at Dudley Zoo.

Tigress Indah who has had to be put down at Howletts Wild Animal Park.

She arrived at Howletts Wild Animal Park as part of a breeding programme in 2006.

She had a lovely character and was a favourite with visitors and staff alike.

She had a very special bond with Amir our male Sumatran tiger.

The pair would always enjoy a good head rub in the morning and they enjoyed nothing more than sitting out on the high platform in their enclosure, soaking up the sunshine.

We are sure that our visitors and supporters will be as saddened by this news as we are.

Visitors to the park were quick to pay tribute to Indah.

Ellie Hadlington said: My heart goes out to her keepers, who are no doubt distraught.

I commend the keepers and the vet team for the amazing work they have done with her and the other animals.

Tracy Butler added: I met this beautiful tiger when i had time feeding the tigers and gave her meds in piece of meat, such a beautiful creature and a great loss, well done to Howletts for everything they done for her.

Jackie Smith said: Such sad news. So glad I got to see her a few weeks ago. Such a beautiful tiger. Thoughts are with her keepers.

The Sumatran tiger has been listed as critically endangered since 2008, as the population was estimated at 441 to 679.

More worrying is the staggering decline in independent, investigative journalism. It costs a lot to produce, so many publications facing an uncertain future can no longer fund it.

With nobody to hold the rich and powerful to account, or report on the issues that don't fit with the mainstream 'narrative', your help is needed.

You can help support free, independent journalism for as little as 50p. Every penny we collect from donations supports vital investigative journalism.

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HeartbreakingSumatran tiger had to be put down because she had arthritis - The London Economic

Scientists from IIT Guwahati have synthesised mats made of silk-proteins and bioactive glass fibres that they believe can assist the growth of bone cells and repair worn-out joints in arthritis patients.

The disease most commonly affects joints in the knees, hips, hands, feet, and spine and is marked by the breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bones. Left untreated, it can cause severe pain, swelling, and eventually limited range of movement.

Current clinical treatment methods are limited by lack of viable tissue substitutes to aid the repair process, Biman B. Mandal from institute said.

Joint disease

To develop a suitable tissue substitute, scientists, including those from the University College London in the U.K., looked into the natural bone-cartilage interface and tried to mimic it synthetically in lab conditions.

Knee osteoarthritis is the most common bone and joint disease in India. However, Mr. Mandal pointed out that the available clinical grafts were expensive.

Enhances healing

We used silk, a natural protein to fabricate electrospun mats to mimic the cartilage portion and bioactive glass to develop a composite material, similar to the natural tissue, said Mr. Mandal.

For the mat, scientists used a kind of silk easily available in northeast India.

Muga [Assam] silk is endowed with properties that enhance the healing process, Mr. Mandal said.

The researchers adopted a green fabrication approach for the developing the silk composite mats electrospinning. It is similar to knitting, except that it utilises electric high-voltage force to draw ultrafine fibres, Mr. Mandal said.

A layer by layer approach was followed, where the bone layer was first formed, on top of which the cartilage layer was developed. The resulting composite mat resembled the architecture of the bone-cartilage interface.

To assist the regenerative process, the mats would be grafted in the defected joint with cells harvested from the patient.

Read the original here:
Silk mats can help treat arthritis - The Hindu

(Reuters) - The benefits of Johnson & Johnson's experimental rheumatoid arthritis drug sirukumab do not outweigh the risks, an advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded on Wednesday.

The panel voted 12-1 that the drug should not be approved, citing safety concerns, including an imbalance in the number of deaths in patients taking sirukumab compared with those taking a placebo. The most common causes of death were major heart problems, infection and malignancies.

"The safety is not there," said Dr. Beth Jonas, interim head of the division of rheumatology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

The FDA is not obliged to act on the recommendation of its advisory panels but typically does so.

J&J originally developed the drug with GlaxoSmithKline Plc. GSK recently said it would return all rights to J&J. GSK held rights to the drug in North, Central and South America.

Sirukumab blocks a cytokine in the body known as interleukin 6 (IL-6) that can contribute to the inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disorder that affects more than 1.3 million.

Panelists said they were especially reluctant to recommend approval of sirukumab because there are two other drugs on the market in the same class. These are Roche Holding AG's Actemra and Sanofi SA and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s

"If this was a new agent I would probably be a little more enthusiastic," said Dr. Maria Suarez-Almazor, rheumatology section chief at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. "There is no reason to think that this new drug will act in a tremendously different way."

The FDA, in briefing documents released on Monday, noted that the trend toward increased overall mortality seemed unique to the sirukumab program.

Reporting by Toni Clarke in Washington; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Steve Orlofsky

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FDA panel votes against approval of J&J arthritis drug - Reuters