Category: Bones, Joints & Muscles
FDA Updates Safety Recommendations for Metal-on-Metal Hip Implants
If you develop new or worsening problems, such as pain, swelling, numbness, noise (popping, grinding, clicking or squeaking of your hip) or a change in your ability to walk, contact your orthopedic surgeon right away. If you experience changes in your general health, including new or worsening symptoms outside your hip, let your doctor or other health care professional know you have a metal-on-metal hip implant.
Osteoarthritis – from NIH MedlinePlus magazine
Feature article from NIH MedlinePlus magazine covers the causes, symptoms and treatments of a condition that affects 27 million Americans: Osteoarthritis
Need a price for a hip replacement? Good luck with that . . .
Let’s say your 62-year-old granny needs a hip replacement.
So how much will it cost her?
Who knows. Seriously.
Evidence does not back-up spinal manipulation for acute lower back pain
Spinal manipulation, often used by chiropractors and osteopaths, is no more effective than exercise, NSAIDs or other physical therapy to treat acute lower back pain, according to a review of 20 randomized controlled trials involving 2,674 patients with lower back pain
Group Health study finds “shared decision making” may reduce medical procedures
A new Group Health Cooperative study about decision aids, materials given to patients to help educate them about treatment options, shows that they can help hold down costs.
Avoid broken bones: Learn about low bone density
The U.S. Agency for Health Care Research and Quality has created an easy-to-use online resource to help you reduce your risk of a bone fracture due to thinning bones.
How does the FDA monitor your medical implants? It doesn’t, really.
Each prescription drug you take has a unique code that the government can use to track problems. But artificial hips and pacemakers? They are implanted without identification. In fact, the FDA doesn’t know how many devices are implanted into patients each year – it simply doesn’t track that data.
How often should women have bone tests?
A study of nearly 5,000 women suggests that women with healthy bone density on their first bone desity test might safely wait 15 years before getting tested again.
Baby boomers trigger jump in knee replacement surgeries
Whether it’s music, lifestyles, or a refuse-to-age outlook, Baby Boomers think of themselves as trailblazers. Now, that generation born between 1946 and 1964 can claim credit for another “first”—a dramatic increase in knee replacement surgeries.
Yoga no better than stretching for back pain, Group Health study finds
“We expected back pain to ease more with yoga than with stretching, so our findings surprised us.”
Online Video: Breakthroughs in Spine Surgery
Learn about care and recovery from complicated spinal cord injuries–from vertebroplasty to disc replacement– from national and UW experts
‘Ankle phone calls’ could save trips to the ER
Lower leg strains and sprains accounted for more than 30 percent of emergency room visits, but most are relatively minor and don’t require an ER visit.
Health writer braves Canadian health system — and survives!
“Although comparing costs and bills is tricky, by any measure my evening in the Canadian emergency department was a good deal.”
Picking a treatment for a rotator cuff tear
Tears in the rotator cuff are not a huge health setback. But they can limit movement and cause serious pain. There are several ways to treat rotator cuff tears, including surgery and non-surgical treatments. You’ll want to understand your options before you make a decision.
Possible fracture risk with osteoporosis drugs–FDA
Concerns include bisphosphonate drugs such as Actonel, Actonel with Calcium, Atelvia, Boniva, Fosamax, Fosamax Plus D, and their generic forms.
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