The HCPLive Rheumatology condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on rheumatologic disease. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for arthritis, gout, nr-AxSpA, and more.
October 6th 2024
The rheumatology month in review emphasizes new trends in medication use and novel technologies' potential for managing fibromyalgia.
Collaborating Across the Continuum™: The Role of Multidisciplinary Care in the Management of Patients with Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency
View More
Cases and Conversations™: Applying Best Practices to Prevent Shingles in Your Practice
October 16, 2024
Register Now!
Tackling Inequities in IBD: Inclusive Solutions for Elevated Patient Care
October 26, 2024
Register Now!
6th Annual Advanced Practice Collaborative
View More
SimulatED™: Personalizing Treatment Choices to Achieve Glycemic and Weight Management Goals
View More
Cases and Conversations™: Keeping Up with Novel Approaches to Managing ANCA-Associated Vasculitis
November 18, 2024
Register Now!
Shaping the Management of COPD with Biologic Therapy
View More
Elevating Care for PAH: Applying Recommended Management Approaches to Maximize Outcomes
View More
Clinical Consultations™: Managing Depressive Episodes in Patients with Bipolar Disorder Type II
View More
Expert Illustrations & Commentaries™: Exploring the Role of Novel Agents for the Management of IgA Nephropathy
View More
Medical Crossfire®: Understanding the Advances in Bipolar Disease Treatment—A Comprehensive Look at Treatment Selection Strategies
View More
'REEL’ Time Patient Counseling: The Diagnostic and Treatment Journey for Patients With Bipolar Disorder Type II – From Primary to Specialty Care
View More
‘REEL’ Time Patient Counseling™: Navigating the Complex Journey of Diagnosing and Managing Fabry Disease
View More
Expert Illustrations & Commentaries™: Envisioning Novel Therapeutic Approaches to Managing ANCA-associated Vasculitis
View More
Clinical ShowCase™: Finding the Best Path Forward for Patients with COPD
View More
A Tethered Approach to Type 2 Diabetes Care – Connecting Insulin Regimens with Digital Technology
View More
Surv.AI Says™: What Clinicians and Patients Are Saying About Glucose Management in the Technology Age
View More
Clinical ShowCase™: Forming a Personalized Treatment Plan for a Patient With ANCA-Associated Vasculitis
View More
Addressing Healthcare Inequities: Tailoring Cancer Screening Plans to Address Inequities in Care
View More
SimulatED™: Diagnosing and Treating Alzheimer’s Disease in the Modern Era
View More
Patient, Provider & Caregiver Connection™: Implementing an Effective Management Plan to Improve Outcomes in IgA Nephropathy
View More
Making bone health a top priority
August 2nd 2009An estimated 52 million Americans will have osteoporosis and low bone mass by next year, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), constituting what the Surgeon General 5 years ago termed "a major public health threat" with "epidemic" proportions. For 25 years, the NOF has been dedicated to preventing osteoporosis and related fractures, promoting lifelong bone health, improving the lives of those affected by the condition and-through programs of awareness, advocacy, public and health professional education, and research-finding a cure. This year, the NOF is marking its 25th anniversary by providing sets of 25 osteoporosis and bone health educational materials for patients and their physicians.
Delineating risk factors may prevent lower extremity injury
August 2nd 2009Athletes classified as having high generalized joint laxity demonstrate increased midfoot loading, according to researchers at the Sports Medicine Biodynamics Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Foss and associates1 noted that delineation of risk factors for medial collapse of the foot, including hypermobility in athletes, may help clinicians evaluate and prevent lower extremity injury.
Low back pain contributors: Defining a role for biomechanical deficiencies
August 2nd 2009Although low back pain (LBP) may be attributed to a variety of known vertebral disorders (eg, fractures, infections, tumors, and hernias), a definitive diagnosis often remains elusive.1 Biomechanical deficiencies of the lumbar spine may be a contributor, according to students at the University of Southern California's Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Research Laboratory (MBRL), and they are conducting research to determine what role the deficiencies may play in an effort to identify improved rehabilitation interventions.
Combination therapy improves both pain and depression
August 1st 2009For patients who have comorbid depression and musculoskeletal pain, optimized antidepressant therapy combined with pain self-management may result in substantial improvements in both conditions. However, additional interventions may be needed to achieve bigger improvements in pain and higher depression response and remission rates.
BMD-erosions correlation in RA: Potential for bone-directed treatments?
August 1st 2009Hip bone mineral density (BMD) correlates with erosion scores in postmenopausal women who have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), although the relationship is not statistically significant after adjustment for clinical factors. BMD and erosions appear to be more strongly correlated in patients with early RA. Solomon and coworkers studied 163 postmenopausal women being treated for RA but not for osteoporosis.
Balloon kyphoplasty better for vertebral compression fracture
August 1st 2009Balloon kyphoplasty results in more and faster improvements in quality of life and disability measures and reduction of back pain than nonsurgical treatment for patients with acute painful vertebral fracture. However, the differences in improvement diminish by 1 year after treatment for most outcome measures, probably because of natural fracture healing.
Clinical utility of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire is enhanced
August 1st 2009Bennett RM, Bushmakin AG, Cappelleri JC, et al, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, and other centers. Minimal clinically important difference in the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire. J Rheumatol. 2009;36:1304-1311.
Running barefoot: A natural step for reducing injuries?
July 11th 2009Metatarsalgia, fractures, plantar fasciitis, neuromas, blisters, black toenail-easily preventable or inherent, readily manageable or hard to heal, acute or chronic, these are just a few of the maladies that make runners ask, "Why does my foot hurt?" Both runners and researchers seeking answers are taking a close look at barefoot running.
Biomechanical factors contribute to the study of RA
July 10th 2009The impact of biomechanical factors on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has gained increased attention from researchers, as evidenced by studies reported in Clinical Biomechanics. For example, reevaluating knee kinematics over time is important in patients with RA who wear a mobile-bearing total knee prosthesis, according to investigators at the Biomechanics and Imaging Group, Department of Orthopaedics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Whiplash recovery expectations predict recovery
July 9th 2009A patient’s expectations for recovery from a whiplash-associated disorder (WAD), measured in the first 6 weeks after a traffic-related WAD, predict actual recovery. Pain recovery and resolution of pain-related limitations show a similar pattern.
Prevent musculoskeletal pain by addressing psychosocial factors
July 9th 2009Persons in consistently good musculoskeletal health-those who do not report musculoskeletal pain-often demonstrate low levels of psychosocial problems, such as depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, traumatic experiences, and somatization.
Managing spondyloarthritis: Focus on physical morbidity
July 9th 2009Functional limitations are greater and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is poorer in persons who have spondyloarthritis (SpA) than in those who do not, even after adjustment for age, sociodemographics, and comorbidities. Many factors are modifiable (eg, severity and duration of disease, response to current therapy, treatment-related adverse effects, medical comorbidity, socioeconomic factors), and targeted interventions may improve function and HRQOL in patients with SpA.
Combination therapy in early RA provides lasting benefit
July 9th 2009For patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), starting therapy with a combination of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) improves long-term outcomes without an increase in adverse events. The combination of methotrexate, sulfasalazine, and hydroxychloroquine plus prednisolone is satisfactory for most patients.
Acupuncture for low back pain: Real no better than sham
July 9th 2009Acupuncture-like treatments significantly improve function in persons with chronic low back pain compared with usual care. However, the beneficial and persisting effects of real acupuncture needling may be no greater than those of noninsertive stimulation.
What Pay for Performance Means for Musculoskeletal Medicine
June 8th 2009ABSTRACT: Pay for performance (P4P) is causing physicians to examine how they provide care individually and collectively within local health systems. It is the most recent attempt by Medicare and commercial payers to reduce the cost and improve the outcomes of health care. Understanding P4P and deciding how to manage the multiple programs being implemented by payers will challenge physicians' ethics and practice resources. Improving health care for musculoskeletal diseases will require cooperation among the specialties that share responsibility for this care and improved methods for coordinating and documenting it. (J Musculoskel Med. 2009;26:207-212)
Identifying Shoulder Pain in Older Patients: The History, Physical Examination, and Testing
June 7th 2009Shoulder pain has many causes: tendinopathy, impingement, rotator cuff tear, adhesive capsulitis ("frozen shoulder"), and arthritis. This review describes tests that can help narrow the differential diagnosis.
Gout: An age-old problem remains a burden
June 6th 2009Gout is associated with a high disease burden in older patients, probably translating into poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in addition to a higher rate of health care utilization and expenditures. The negative influence on HRQOL in these patients is attributable to the direct musculoskeletal manifestations and associated comorbidities, including the metabolic syndrome, renal failure, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.
Socioeconomic factors affect physical activity and obesity in childhood
June 6th 2009Levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in adolescence-a factor often associated with obesity, as well as morbidity and mortality in adulthood-show consistent patterns of change in relation to patient age, sex, social class, and geographical area. In countries where the influence of social class is less strong, there may be a moderating effect of context in the development of PA habits acquired in childhood.
Pain management benefits from a collaborative approach
June 6th 2009A collaborative primary care–based intervention for patients with chronic pain may be more effective than usual care. Many improvements are modest but meaningful for patients who are older and have long-standing pain, multiple medical problems, and high rates of disability.
New low back pain guideline features shared decision making
June 5th 2009A new clinical practice guideline for low back pain (LBP) favors the use of noninvasive treatments over interventional procedures and suggests shared decision making between physicians and patients for better outcomes. Issued by the American Pain Society (APS), the guideline provides clinicians with several recommendations to help determine the best approaches to treating patients with LBP.
Gait retraining may prevent knee problems
June 4th 2009The gait of runners whose kinematics place them at high risk for common running injuries and conditions may be retrained with the use of real-time feedback. Students in the University of Delaware's Biomechanics and Movement Science (BIOMS) program are conducting projects to determine how effective such retraining may be in preventing patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), knee osteoarthritis (OA), and tibial fractures.
Taking steps to better posture
June 3rd 2009Poor posture can lead to loss of shoulder range of motion, chronic pain, walking deficits, neck-related headaches, and the inability to exercise, warns Greg Thielman, PT, EdD, assistant professor of physical therapy at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. In keeping with National Correct Posture Month in May, Dr Thielman offers the following tips to help patients improve their posture:
The Latest News on the Obama Administration's Plans for Healthcare Reform
May 15th 2009Pundits, analysts, and other industry observers have been weighing in with their thoughts on what the President's proposals will call for, what effect they may have on the nation's healthcare system, their chances of being enacted, and how we're going to pay for it all.