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Orthopaedic
High mortality risk after hip breaks in elderly – Canadian analysis
A recent analysis found poor survival rates after bone fractures in older adults, with fewer than a third of men and half of women...
New orthopaedic unit for Red Cross Children’s Hospital
A state-of-the-art new orthopaedic unit will benefit more than 1 400 clubfoot patients, conduct 1 000 surgeries annually, and provide care for more than...
Stricter screening call after deaths and TB from contaminated bone grafts
The US Centres for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) says there is an urgent need to improve donor screening and product testing, after contaminated...
Study finds vitamin D supplements don't prevent bone fractures in children
Vitamin D supplements don’t prevent bone fractures in children, according to a recent analysis of thousands of children in Mongolia, where vitamin D deficiency...
Common shoulder procedure of no benefit – Norwegian study
Scientists in Norway had said that saline lavage, which is meant to loosen up calcified shoulder tendons, provided no benefit in a double-blind, sham-controlled...
Minor lifestyle changes can cut hip fracture risk by 45% – Australian study
Experts say that although between 20% and 30% of hip fracture patients die within a year of the event – from reasons including complications...
Hearing loss risk from high noise levels in orthopaedic surgical theatres
Full-time operating room staff in orthopaedic surgical suites are exposed to exceedingly high noise levels, say researchers, who say in one surgery, a sound...
Badly-fitting school shoes give children foot deformities – SA study
South African children who usually go barefoot risk developing clawed and retracted toes, heel spurs and foot arthritis because school shoes sold here are...
Platelet-rich plasma treatment shows efficacy in osteoarthritic patients
A pilot study conducted by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine showed that a single injection of platelet-rich-plasma (PRP) in the knee joint significantly...
Tissue cells from nasal septum may repair osteoarthritis in knee — In vitro study
A research team at the University of Basel and the University Hospital of Basel is cultivating cartilage tissue from cells of the nasal septum...
Up to 73% higher risk of serious knee replacement complications with tourniquet — evidence review
The risk of developing serious complications following a knee replacement could be up to 73% higher when a tourniquet is used, compared to surgery...
Younger knee replacement patients more likely to require re-operation
Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is increasing among patients 65 and younger. One study projects a potential 183% increase in the number of TKA and...
Intense physical activity in adolescence may prevent osteoporosis later
High intensity physical activity in early life might help maximise peak hip strength and prevent osteoporosis in later life, according to a study from...
Ibuprofen does not hinder bone fracture healing in children
Contradicting previous beliefs, a US study found that ibuprofen is an effective medication for fracture pain in children and its use does not affect...
Nitrates don't affect bone health in post-menopausal women — randomised controlled trial
Several clinical trials have reported beneficial effects of organic nitrates on bone health, which could lead to a reduced risk of fractures. Some of...
New evidence that hip and knee steroid injections more dangerous than thought
Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers have found accelerated arthritis and joint destruction can be the unintended result of intra-articular corticosteroid injections.
Osteoarthritis...
Disruptive magnesium-based, bone-bracing technology — A new 'gold standard'?
When an orthopaedic in-patient tells visitors, ‘they had to put metal pins in,” the sympathetic murmurs normally assume it was ‘one of those titanium...
Mystery arthritis-linked knee bone 3x more common than 100 years ago
The fabella, a small bone in the knee once lost to human evolution, has made a surprising resurgence over the last century. The new...
Survival data on hip and knee replacements from 6 countries over 25 years
After reviewing thousands of case studies going back 25 years across six countries, generalisable survival data is now available for the first time to...
Strong painkillers increase the risk of hip fracture among Alzheimer's patients
People using strong painkillers, opioids, have twice the risk of hip fracture compared to non-opioid users, a study from the University of Eastern Finland...
Meta-analysis of non-surgical treatments for tennis elbow
The largest meta-analysis to date found that none of 11 non-surgical treatment options for "tennis elbow" performed better than placebo in addressing patients' pain...
Why knee joint injury leads to osteoarthritis
A study from the University of Eastern Finland and Massachusetts Institute of Technology hows that articular cartilage degenerates specifically around injury areas when the fluid...
Steroid injection or wrist splint for first-time carpal tunnel syndrome?
A study in The Lancet reports the results of a randomised trial done in 25 UK primary care centres, which compared a single steroid...
Following elective hip surgery, patients report new health problems
Up to two years following elective, arthroscopic hip surgery, a substantial proportion of US military patients reported troubling new health issues ranging from sleep...
Smart seat cushion to prevent pressure sores
The University of Texas at Arlington has patented a smart seat cushion that uses changes in air pressure to redistribute body weight and help...
Positive results from surgery for meniscus tears
Young patients who underwent surgery for isolated meniscus tears between 1990 and 2005 showed positive long-term clinical results, according to research presented at the...
One-third of over 40s has degenerative disc disease and spinal osteoarthritis
Researchers from Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Ageing Research, and Boston Medical Centre have reported that one-third of people 40-59 years have image-based evidence of...
Partial knee replacement often better and cheaper alternative
A large University of Oxford study found that many more patients could be given a partial knee replacement instead of a total knee replacement,...
Negative impact of bariatric surgery on bone health — review
A review examines the negative impacts of weight loss surgery on bone health. The review of published studies notes that weight loss surgery can...
The high costs of lower back pain
Researchers into treatments for lower back pain, in an article in The Lancet, detail the overuse of inappropriate treatments such as common pain-killers including...
Hip replacement associated with increased life expectancy
Hip replacement surgery not only improves quality of life but is also associated with increased life expectancy, compared to people of similar age and...
Screening could prevent 25% of hip fractures
Community screening for osteoporosis could prevent more than a quarter of hip fractures in older women – according to new research led by the...
Successfully using surgical screws from donated human bone
Biomechanics from TU Graz, are developing surgical screws from donated human bone material for foot and jaw surgery together with surgebright, a start-up from...
New treatment improves bone density in osteoporosis
A new treatment for osteoporosis provides major improvements in bone density and more effective protection against fractures than the current standard treatment. These are...
Military-issue footwear causing musculoskeletal injuries
Drilling in the wrong footwear is causing musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries, resulting in troops being invalided out, according to a small UK study.
Marching around a...
SCR surgical technique allows athletes to return to sports
The arthroscopic superior capsule reconstruction (SCR) surgical technique can offer patients with irreparable rotator cuff repairs the opportunity to return to sports and jobs...
Minutes of daily running link with better bone health in women
Accumulating just one to two minutes a day of high-intensity weight-bearing physical exercise is associated with better bone health in women, found a University of...
Same pain relief for both the obese and normal weight after joint replacement
A University of Massachusetts Medical School study finds that obese patients who underwent knee or hip replacement surgery reported virtually the same pain relief...
Anti-inflammatory with osteoporosis drug lowers hip fracture risk
Among older patients using medium to high doses of the anti-inflammatory steroid prednisolone, treatment with the osteoporosis drug alendronate was associated with a significantly...
Gunshot wounds place hefty burden on SA's orthopaedic healthcare resources
In 2012‚ Groote Schuur Hospital spent a total of R2.7m, excluding salaries, on the 111 patients it treated for orthopaedic gunshot wounds, found a Univeristy of...