Arthritis care & research
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Arthritis care & research · Feb 2012
Association of magnetic resonance imaging-based knee cartilage T2 measurements and focal knee lesions with knee pain: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.
To evaluate the association of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based knee cartilage T2 measurements and focal knee lesions with knee pain in knees without radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) among subjects with OA risk factors. ⋯ These results suggest that elevated cartilage T2 values are associated with findings of pain in the early phase of OA, whereas among morphologic knee abnormalities only knee cartilage lesions are significantly associated with knee pain status.
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Arthritis care & research · Feb 2012
Work productivity in scleroderma: analysis from the University of California, Los Angeles scleroderma quality of life study.
To examine the productivity of patients with scleroderma (systemic sclerosis [SSc]) both outside of and within the home in a large observational cohort. ⋯ SSc has a major impact on productivity at home and at work. Nearly 40% of patients reported disability due to their SSc.
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Arthritis care & research · Jan 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialExperimental knee joint pain during strength training and muscle strength gain in healthy subjects: a randomized controlled trial.
Knee joint pain and reduced quadriceps strength are cardinal symptoms in many knee pathologies. In people with painful knee pathologies, quadriceps exercise reduces pain, improves physical function, and increases muscle strength. A general assumption is that pain compromises muscle function and thus may prevent effective rehabilitation. This study evaluated the effects of experimental knee joint pain during quadriceps strength training on muscle strength gain in healthy individuals. ⋯ Experimental knee joint pain improved the training-induced gain in muscle strength following 8 weeks of quadriceps training. It remains to be studied whether knee joint pain has a positive effect on strength gain in patients with knee pathology.
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Arthritis care & research · Jan 2012
Prospective study of self-reported pain, radiographic osteoarthritis, sarcopenia progression, and falls risk in community-dwelling older adults.
To examine the potential role of self-reported joint pain, stiffness, and dysfunction, and radiographic osteoarthritis (ROA), in sarcopenia progression and falls risk in older adults. ⋯ Knee and hip pain may directly contribute to the progression of sarcopenia and increased falls risk in older women.
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Arthritis care & research · Jan 2012
Association of lower muscle strength with self-reported knee instability in osteoarthritis of the knee: results from the Amsterdam Osteoarthritis cohort.
To determine whether muscle strength, proprioceptive accuracy, and laxity are associated with self-reported knee instability in a large cohort of knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients, and to investigate whether muscle strength may compensate for impairment in proprioceptive accuracy or laxity, in order to maintain knee stability. ⋯ Lower muscle strength is strongly associated with self-reported knee instability in knee OA patients, while impairments in proprioceptive accuracy and laxity are not. A compensatory role of muscle strength for impaired proprioceptive accuracy or high laxity, in order to stabilize the knee, could not be demonstrated.