Researchers in Australia have found that athletic tape can be used to improve pain from patellofemoral osteoarthritis, a form of osteoarthritis found around or behind the kneecap.
This was a small study, to be sure, involving only 28 people, 14 with and 14 without patellofemoral arthritis. Yet the findings may provide another therapy option for people with this knee pain. This finding may also benefit people with chronic patellofemoral pain, which is relatively common in runners and can oftentimes be related to a misalignment in the knee joint.
The researchers from the University of Melbourne enlisted the 28 participants, all adults with an average age of 57. The researchers took MRI scans of the participants knees and discovered that the arthritis sufferers had a higher incidence of misalignment of the knee joint, including an inclination for the kneecap to be positioned toward the outside of the leg.
Using athletic tape to wrap the patient’s knees, the researchers were able to improve that misalignment. This contributed to improvement in reported pain during a squatting exercise.
According to lead researcher, Dr. Kay M. Crossley;
“Our results confirm that patellar taping is an excellent technique which can be recommended for people with (patellofemoral arthritis).”
The tape must be applied correctly to achieve the benefit, and not to worsen the condition. The researchers indicated that a physical therapist would be the most appropriate to wrap the knee, but that with instruction and practice, the patient would be able to successfully tape their own knee.
Using tape may not be the best solution for everyone with patellofemoral pain. Many people may require other forms of therapy or a combination with taping. Dr. Crossley stated that she and her colleagues are currently conducting a clinical trial which is studying the outcomes of knee taping with other treatments.
The results of the taping study were published in the journal Arthritis Care & Research.
It sounds like something out of medieval times. Using leeches to treat every disease and condition known to man. But as it turns out leeches are actually very powerful for treating a wide variety of ailments including knee osteoarthritis.
Knee osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that results in the breakdown of the cartilage between the joints in the knees. This leads to pain, loss of range of motion and bone damage. There appears to be several origins of knee osteoarthritis including joint deformity, repeated injury, or excess weight. There is no cure for osteoarthritis so the focus is on treatments for the pain and reduction of continued damage to the joint.
And this is where leeches come in. Leeches secrete morphine, a potent pain killer. Leeches also secrete an anticoagulant which improves blood flow to the area where the leeches are applied and an anti-inflammatory. Since inflammation is responsible for the symptoms of osteoarthritis, researchers believe that leeches might relieve pain in patients with osteoarthritis.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classify leeches as medical devices and has approved them for microsurgery. The FDA is also involved in the regulation of the transport and sale of leeches. In Germany there has been an estimated 70,000 treatments a year over the last few years with four to five used for each treatment. Most of these treatments have been aimed at pain reduction in knee osteoarthritis.
Several studies have been conducted regarding the use of leeches for treating knee osteoarthritis.
One study, reported in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, focused on 16 patients with an average age 68. These patients had experienced persistent knee pain for more than six months. None had suffered any knee injuries and all had x-ray evidence of osteoarthritis. These patients were already treating their knee osteoarthritis with physical therapy, relaxation, diet and exercise.
In this study, part of the group was provided traditional treatment and the rest were treated with leeches. Four leeches were applied to the knee for 80 minutes. Pain levels were measured three days before and 28 day after the treatment. The results were rapid. Treatment with leeches resulted in pain relief after three days and continued through the 28 day test period. The patients who received traditional treatment did not experience relief. There were no side effects noted from the leeches and the patients reported that the initial leech bite was mildly painful.
A larger study was conducted involving 51 patients age 40 and above with knee osteoarthritis with high pain. Four to six leeches were applied to the affected knee and were allowed to remain until they detached themselves, which took about 70 minutes. Then the patients rested the knee for 12 hours. Researchers then measured the patients pain, stiffness and range of motion after 3, 7, 28, and 91 days.
The results were similar to the smaller study. The patients receiving leech therapy reported less pain, less stiffness, better function, and fewer total osteoarthritis symptoms through the full 91 days that the researchers followed them.
These studies give hope for alternative treatments of knee osteoarthritis for reducing pain and increasing mobility. In order to properly validate these studies additional research needs to be conducted over a longer period of time. But it appears that leeches do provide relief to knee osteoarthritis sufferers.
A new study suggests that people who are exposed to high levels of pollution from traffic have an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis.
Researchers performed an analysis of records from 90,000 women in the Nurses Health Study and utilized unique software to measure the distance between each of the woman’s homes and the nearest major roadways. The results of the study showed that women who lived within 165 feet of interstates or primary, multi-lane roads had a greater than 30 percent increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared to those who lived more that 650 feet from a major roadway. Women who lived within 165 feet of the largest roadways had a 63 percent higher risk.
“Even after accounting for the effects of age, race, sex, socioeconomic status and cigarette smoking, the increased risk for women located near major roads remained substantially higher,” Jaime Hart, a research fellow in the Channing Laboratory at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said in a hospital news release.
According to the researchers, genetic factors are believed to account for less than 50 percent of RA risk, and that environmental factors such as cigarette smoke may increase the risk of developing RA.
“This, coupled with prior research that suggests air pollution from traffic can cause systemic inflammation, prompted us to study whether there was a direct relationship between air pollution and the risk of RA,” Hart said.
Additional research is necessary to determine the exact effect that specific, measured levels of pollution have on the risk of developing the condition.
The study was published online in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
GD Star Rating loading...
Originally posted 2009-04-22 15:26:11. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
A team of researchers St. James Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, conducted a study that found the erectile dysfunction (ED) has a higher prevalence in men who have rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Previous studies have linked erectile dysfunction to vascular events, such as stroke and heart attacks, but this study indicates that there is also a link with inflammatory diseases such as RA.
“Based on our data, we’re saying that rheumatoid arthritis—a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease—could be a possible risk factor for erectile dysfunction. And at the same time, erectile dysfunction is an early warning sign of underlying cardiovascular disease that may not have been diagnosed yet.”
Barry Sheane, MB, BCh, BAO, Rheumatology Research Registrar at St. James’s Hospital in Dublin.
The researchers analyzed interview responses from 57 patients at rheumatology outpatient clinics. The interviews were used to determine if there were existing risk factors for cardio vascular disease, a prior history of cardio vascular events, and risks of ED, including pelvic surgery or trauma, central neurological and spinal cord pathology, benign prostatic hyperplasia, hypogonadism, depression, alcohol consumption, and stress. The participants also were given a routine medical assessment.
Thirty-three these patients had rheumatoid arthritis, while the remainder of the patients had various other forms of arthritis including gout, osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, connective tissue disease, or undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis.
Of the 57 patients in the study group, the researchers found that 39 (68%) had ED. Further, 51 of the patients (90%) over 65 years old with rheumatic disease had ED. This is significantly higher than the 20% seen in the general population.
Of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis, 26 (78%) had ED compared to only 11 (54%) of those with other rheumatic illnesses. In addition, the researchers found no relationship in the RA patients between ED and known risk factors for ED, such as smoking, dyslipidemia, or use of methotrexate.
The researchers also stated that close to 100% of the patients with some form of cardiovascular disease also had ED.
The researchers said that it was vital that rheumatic specialists ask their patients if they also suffered from ED in order to identify those who had an increased risk of ongoing cardiovascular disease.
The results of the study were presented at the 2009 American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting
The recent death of John Travolta’s son, Jett, has highlighted an uncommon disease known as Kawasaki disease. According to the Arthritis Foundation, Kawasaki disease is one of over 100 types of arthritis.
What is Kawasaki disease?
Kawasaki disease is a form of vasculitis, or inflammation of the blood vessels. It typically develops in young children with over 80% of patients under the age of 5, and affects boys more than girls.
Kawasaki disease was first identified by Tomasaku Kawasaki in Japan in 1967. It was also known as mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome, Kawasaki’s disease, Kawasaki’s syndrome and infantile polyarteritis.
Kawasaki disease is considered in the U.S. to be the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children.
What is the cause of Kawasaki disease?
The cause of Kawasaki disease has not been discovered. There are theories that it is the result of an infection, but this has not yet been proven. There are also those that believe it is an autoimmune condition. In addition, there appears to be a genetic link to development of the disease.
What are the symptoms of Kawasaki disease?
Kawasaki disease develops quickly and is very aggressive for several weeks. After the disease clears, there can still be cardiac complications that appear years later.
The symptoms include:
High-grade fever, 102 °F to 104 °F, that lasts for more than 5 days if left untreated
Conjunctivitis, also know as “Pink Eye”
Chapped, bright red lips
Red mucous membranes in the mouth
Strawberry looking tongue
Joint pain and swelling on both sides of the body
Rapid heart beat
Peeling skin on the palms and soles of the feet
Palms of the hands and soles of the feet are red
Swollen lymph nodes, usually in the neck area
Irritability
Other symptoms can include abdominal pain, diarrhea, jaundice and meningitis.
What is the treatment for Kawasaki disease?
Children should be hospitalized and treated by a physician experienced in treating Kawasaki disease. The usual course of treatment includes intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) given in high doses. In addition, Kawasaki disease is one of the few cases where aspirin is used to treat children. Aspirin is given in high doses until the fever subsides, and then in low doses for two to three months to prevent blood clotting.
What is the prognosis?
If the disease is promptly diagnosed and treatment started quickly the recovery is generally rapid. If left untreated the patient will usually recover, although in a longer time frame than if treated. However, if untreated the risk of coronary artery disease is much higher.
Overall, about 2% of Kawasaki disease patients die from complications of coronary inflammation. Patients who have had Kawasaki disease should have an echocardiogram initially every few weeks, and then every 1–2 years to screen for progression of cardiac involvement.
It is also possible that the patient may experience a relapse of the symptoms shortly after treatment with IVIG which would require hospital treatment again. Also, treatment with aspirin can increase the risk of bleeding and has been associated with the risk of Reye’s syndrome in children.
GD Star Rating loading...
Originally posted 2009-01-26 14:15:01. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Recent Comments