News

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.

Haiti Traveling

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.

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.

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.

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.

I became a blogger 4 months ago, a gig that I find fascinating and refreshing. A place for me to vent, pontificate, and generally hold forth with a jaundiced view of my profession and the industrial Goliaths that support it.

Sen. Joe Lieberman is officially working to block health care reform in the Congress; he especially desires de-postponing any kind of "health care reform" until the economy has recovered.

The vasculitides are a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by inflammation and necrosis of blood vessel walls resulting in impaired blood flow and organ damage. This article addresses some of the most frequently asked questions about these conditions.

Better understanding of meniscus anatomy and function has triggered a search for new and improved treatment options. Nonoperative treatment, including activity modification, rehabilitation, and use of NSAIDs, is directed at minimizing symptoms of pain and swelling.

The prevalence and extent of vascular calcification over the thoracic aorta and coronary and carotid arteries are greater in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) than in healthy persons. Because the process of atherosclerosis related to SLE disease activity is diffuse and widespread rather than limited to the coronary arteries, coronary calcification used alone as a marker for atherosclerosis may not disclose the association.

For those interested in health information technology, there is now an excellent, new, powerful website about this topic called the Huffington Post Investigative Fund. In their most recent report, "Can Cleveland Clinic Be a Model for Digital Medicine?" they discuss how this hospital system has failed to recoup their $100 million investment to date.

Lately, I've been thinking about how fast everything moves these days. This is true in technology, medicine, business, and other important areas of our lives. Keeping up with changes in healthcare is a real challenge; just reading monthly print medical journals won't cut it anymore in the digital age. Now, practically every day I find myself looking something up on Wikipedia.

I have been following with interest all the discussions about the new Medical Home (aka, the Patient Centered Medical Home) concept. This is our silver bullet that will improve patient access, raise quality levels, increase overall satisfaction and save billions of healthcare dollars - all at the same time!