Arthritis care & research
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Arthritis care & research · Sep 2010
Thigh muscle strength, functional capacity, and self-reported function in patients at high risk of knee osteoarthritis compared with controls.
Reduced muscle strength is suggested as a risk factor for knee osteoarthritis (OA). Meniscectomy patients have an increased risk of developing knee OA. The aim of this study was to identify reductions in different aspects of muscle strength as well as objectively measured and self-reported lower extremity function in middle-aged patients who had undergone a meniscectomy compared with controls. ⋯ Thigh muscle strength is not impaired in middle-aged adults 2 years after resection of a degenerative tear. Our findings indicate that factors other than muscle strength are responsible for the perceived functional limitations and suggest that training to improve strength alone may not be sufficient to improve self-reported function in patients at high risk of knee OA.
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Arthritis care & research · Aug 2010
Pressure pain sensitivity topographical maps reveal bilateral hyperalgesia of the hands in patients with unilateral carpal tunnel syndrome.
To assess topographical pressure pain sensitivity maps of the hand in patients with unilateral carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) as compared with healthy subjects. ⋯ Our findings revealed bilateral generalized pressure pain hyperalgesia in unilateral CTS because lower PPT levels were found in all of the points. The pressure pain hyperalgesia was not uniformly distributed since PPTs were lower in points over the proximal phalanx of the fingers and the thenar eminency as compared with those points located over the distal phalanx of the fingers. The decrease in PPT levels was associated with the intensity and the duration of the pain symptoms, supporting a role of both peripheral and central sensitization mechanisms in this pain condition.
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Arthritis care & research · Jul 2010
Meta AnalysisTherapeutic effects of hyaluronate injections in patients with chronic painful shoulder: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
To elucidate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of injection of hyaluronate (HA) for chronic painful shoulder. ⋯ This meta-analysis confirms that HA injection is effective in relief of pain and is a safe alternative therapy for chronic painful shoulder.
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Cumulative data suggest that central sensitization may contribute to pain in osteoarthritis (OA) and present with symptoms typically associated with neuropathic pain (NP). We evaluated the responses from focus group participants on the knee OA pain experience for pain descriptions that suggest NP. ⋯ During focus groups, a subset of adults with chronic, symptomatic knee OA used pain quality descriptors that were suggestive of NP. Elicitation of NP descriptors in people with OA may help identify those who could benefit from further evaluation and perhaps treatment for NP.
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Arthritis care & research · Jul 2010
Arthritis restricts volunteer participation: prevalence and correlates of volunteer status among adults with arthritis.
To estimate, among adults ages > or = 45 years with arthritis, the prevalence and correlates of 1) volunteering, 2) arthritis-attributable restrictions among volunteers, and 3) arthritis as the main barrier to volunteering (AMBV) among non-volunteers. ⋯ Volunteering is an important role with individual and societal benefits, but almost 12 million adults with arthritis are limited or do not participate in volunteering due to arthritis. Individuals with restrictions in volunteering reported a substantial burden of poor physical function and may benefit from effective, underused interventions designed to improve physical function, delay disability, and enhance arthritis self-management.