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Throughout history, various forms of morphine have been the most effective medications in relieving pain. Opioid analgesics-the natural, semisynthetic, and synthetic derivatives of morphine-are used routinely in the management of acute musculoskeletal pain. However, myths and misunderstandings about these drugs often prevent primary care physicians from prescribing them for chronic pain, such as that seen in common musculoskeletal conditions (eg, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis [OA], osteoporosis, and low back pain [LBP]). Although pain is one of the most common symptoms that bring patients to the physician’s office, those with chronic musculoskeletal or other noncancer pain all too often are undertreated.

There is a high prevalence of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) deficiency in older men who have radiographic hip osteoarthritis (OA). Because 25(OH)D plays a significant role in bone and cartilage maintenance, therapeutic interventions with vitamin D are warranted to augment their skeletal health.

Scientists have pinpointed and controlled a key molecular component that will keep certain stem cells associated with arthritis and osteoporosis in an extended infancy state, according to a study published online in the journal Development.

Study results published in the American Journal of Infection Control found that Twitter is often used to spread misleading or false information about key healthcare topics, with incorrect information from a single tweet able to reach hundreds of thousands of patients.

ABSTRACT: No new drug was FDA-approved for gout for close to 45 years, but new drugs are on the market now and others are in development. Established treatments often are effective, but each has limitations. In 2009, the FDA approved a nongeneric colchicine for acute gout.

ABSTRACT: Evidence of ongoing juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) into adulthood has led to a shift in the treatment paradigm. Most physicians now pursue an approach of early, aggressive combination therapy.

This article describes a study of the prevalence of lateral epicondylitis or tennis elbow among patients with neck or arm pain, reviews the prevalence of concomitant cervical radiculopathy, and proposes a management plan for cases in which the conditions coincide.

ABSTRACT: A 36-year-old woman presented with Raynaud phenomenon, arthralgia, photosensitive rash, proteinuria, dry eyes and dry mouth, and alopecia.

A 45-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with a 3-day history of an acutely painful, swollen, and erythematous thumb. Ordinary x-ray was central to the correct diagnosis.

There are significant associations between the increased numbers of telangiectases in patients with scleroderma and the presence of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Cutaneous telangiectases may be a manifestation of the vasculopathy of scleroderma that could serve as a clinical biomarker for pulmonary vascular disease.

Although sleep often is disturbed in persons with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), activity-related exacerbation of symptoms is not related to poor sleep. In fact, persons with CFS often sleep better after engaging in exercise.

Late-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), often considered to have a benign disease course, actually involves greater disease activity and comorbidities than early-onset SLE. Differences in disease activity may be associated with an interaction between the SLE and age.

Prolonged standing on a sloped surface rather than on a level surface results in decreased subjective low back pain (LBP) and associated biomechanical changes, according to researchers at the Regis University School of Physical Therapy in Denver. Nelson-Wong and Callaghan1 noted that occupations that require prolonged periods of standing have been associated with increased reports of musculoskeletal disorders, including LBP.

We've entered a new arena of horror where our Richter scale, for the first time, doesn't seem to reach high enough, and adjectives are crumbling under the impact. "Devastation" or "catastrophe"? None of the usual descriptors feel powerful enough.

The main goal of this trial is to "evaluate the practical modalities and performance of the EULAR-RAID score in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who have been prescribed etanercept as part of usual medical practice."

View a demo of a We Care Solar Suitcase here. This tool was used by many healthcare professionals who spent time in Haiti

How quickly we humans normalize even the most extreme scenario - as long as we see it over and over. By now, it seems perfectly normal for our fringed-draped bus to 4-wheel it over piles of rubble.

Researchers found that UV exposure resulted in greater positive affect, well-being, relaxation, and reduced pain levels when compared to non-UV exposure.

Haiti trip, 5 days and counting. The overriding question, for me, has become, just how bad is it?

Our expectations have changed a lot as we continue to see, every day, hundreds of tweets about current conditions.

Identifying the needs of the Haitians who were affected by the earthquake, finding a place to stay and work, and getting there would be impossible for us without the help and coordinated efforts of many people.

Is it just me, or is everyone else out there dying to get their hands on an iPad?

A description and guide to manifestations and differential diagnosis of the many subtypes of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA): oligoarticular, polyarticular, systemic, enthesitis-related, and psoriatric JIA.

Pain in the neck and shoulder set in during labor for this 38-year-old woman. The diagnosis was Parsonage-Turner syndrome or neuralgia myopathy, a rare condition affecting the brachial plexus.

PVNS is a rare, proliferative lesion of synovial tissue. This patient with a long history of knee pain recovered well after synovectomy.

Psychological effects resulting from psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are more likely to occur in African Americans, Asians, and Latinos than in whites, according to a recent National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) survey report. In addition, very severe disease is more common among members of these groups.

The risk of sustaining a contralateral anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is greater than the risk of sustaining a first-time ACL injury, according to investigators in the department of orthopedics at Lund University and Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden. The most important risk factor for sustaining a contralateral ACL injury is return to a high activity level after a unilateral ACL injury.

Isabelle Jeanson, a Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières emergency communications officer, has been with the MSF teams in Port-au-Prince since January 15. Here she describes the situation as of January 17.

Acetaminophen is often recommended instead of aspirin as a day-to-day pain reliever, but taken in too high a dose, it can damage the liver and perhaps cause liver failure.

A serious underlying condition rarely is present in patients with low back pain (LBP), but the pain can be intense and severely limit home and work activities. For most patients with LBP, the cause is a nonspecific mechanical process; for those with acute symptoms, the course is self-limited. Initial treatments include activity modification, nonnarcotic analgesic agents, and patient education. For patients whose symptoms are not improving, referral for physical treatments is appropriate.