May 21, 2020

Extra Pounds Could Bring More Painful Joints

THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 -- Carrying excess pounds can be painful, literally. A new study finds that being overweight or obese ups the risk of pain in people with musculoskeletal disorders.

"Pain, osteoarthritis and weight share a complicated relationship," said study author Dr. Diana Higgins. She's a researcher with the VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University School of Medicine.

May 19, 2020

In Small Study, Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Appears to Help COVID-19 Patients

THURSDAY, May 7, 2020 -- In the scramble to find medicines that beat back COVID-19, researchers from Italy report encouraging results from a small study on a rheumatoid arthritis drug already in use.

The drug, anakinra, may help quiet the runaway immune response known as a "cytokine storm," which imperils some patients with severe COVID-19.

May 14, 2020

Vigorous Exercise Safe for Those at Risk of Knee Arthritis

TUESDAY, May 12, 2020 -- People at high risk for knee arthritis don't need to avoid jogging and other types of vigorous exercise, a new study suggests.

Some folks hold back on physical activity because they fear it will increase their chances of developing knee arthritis, so researchers from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago took a closer look.

April 9, 2020

Are Steroids Really the Answer for Arthritic Knees?

WEDNESDAY, April 8, 2020 -- Folks with knee arthritis will get more out of physical therapy than a cortisone shot, a new clinical trial argues.

People with osteoarthritis of the knee had less pain and disability after one year of physical therapy than others who received as many as three injections during that same period, according to study results.

March 30, 2020

Taking Steroids for Rheumatoid Arthritis, IBD? Your Odds for Hypertension May Rise

MONDAY, March 23, 2020 -- People taking steroids to treat chronic inflammatory diseases are at high risk for developing high blood pressure, British investigators report.

Inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis are often treated with steroids for an extended period, at high doses, and as many as a third of patients in the study became hypertensive, the scientists said.