All articles tagged with #joint replacement
Stanford researchers identify the protein 15-PGDH as a driver of age-related cartilage breakdown and show that blocking it can thicken worn knee cartilage and reprogram existing chondrocytes, reversing degeneration in older mice and regenerating cartilage in human tissue, signaling potential clinical trials and a possible path to avoiding joint replacement.
An umbrella review of systematic reviews finds that exercise provides small pain relief for osteoarthritis (about 6–12 points on a 100-point scale) vs no treatment or placebo, with little consistent improvement in function. For knee/hip OA, exercise can match NSAIDs and corticosteroid injections for pain reduction (roughly 5–10%), but total joint replacement generally offers greater relief. Limitations include lumping all exercise types together, not differentiating supervised vs unsupervised programs, short study durations (~12 weeks), and not accounting for exercise dose. Despite these caveats, any sustainable exercise (e.g., walking or resistance training) offers broader health benefits and should be pursued as a long-term, individualized plan.
A 68-year-old man with a history of osteoarthritis is hesitant to undergo shoulder replacement surgery despite recommendations from two specialists, while a 75-year-old man seeks advice on treating palmar fibromatosis. Dr. Keith Roach advises the first patient to monitor his symptoms and consult with his surgeon, and the second patient to discuss treatment options with his hand surgeon.