Home Mobilization Options for Patients This is the second part of Dr. Tony Rocklin's focus on mobilization with movement that patients can do independently at home, excerpted from his presentation at OPTA 2016. You can watch the first part of this discussion here, see other excerpts here, or listen to the full one-hour presentation here. One of the challenges in treating patients with hip osteoarthritis is that most insurance companies limit the number of visits for physical therapy they will cover, although it is less expensive than reliance on prescription painkillers and NSAIDs throughout the disease. And because it is incurable and degenerative, patients will need continuing treatment. As a result, best practices for physical therapists working with these patients include...
Mobilization with Movement for Home As May is Arthritis Awareness month, it's worth remembering that 1 out of 5 people in the United States will suffer from hip osteoarthritis during their lifetimes. Hip osteoarthritis is one of the most common chronic illnesses in the US today. Unfortunately, our healthcare system has historically only prescribed pain medications and NSAIDs, use of a cane, weight loss, and independent exercise alone while waiting for it to get bad enough for surgery. The period between diagnosis and hip surgery can be, on average, three to six years. As the OA progresses, pain increases, activity decreases, and patients are increasingly at risk for other co-morbidities related to inactivity such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, depression, addiction,...
The link between extra weight and increased osteoarthritis risk Doctors have historically advised patients diagnosed with osteoarthritis to lose weight in order to lessen the stress on the joints. Now doctors are also advising overweight patients to lose weight to decrease their osteoarthritis risk. The Arthritis Foundation posted this overview on fat and osteoarthritis and discussed the links between osteoarthritis and obesity in a second post. The latter points out "...year after year of obesity fuels a steady barrage of friendly fire that in turn generates low-level chronic inflammation. Not an inflamed immune system, like an infection but a soft drum-beat of immune proteins that over time can damage tissues such as joints, "˜that's insidious because it's continuous,' says Robert...
Arthroscopic hip surgery increases in popularity The popularity of arthroscopic hip surgery has increased in recent years, with a more than 600% increase between 2006 and 2010 in the United States. But although the minimally invasive procedure, often performed on an outpatient basis, may be preferred, a recent study published in Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery found that it may not be the best option for older patients or those with arthritis. Researchers at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City looked at more than 7,000 arthroscopies in California and Florida with two years follow-up. Dr. David Mayman, an orthopedic surgeon at HSS and senior study author said "One of the goals of our study...
Conservative Treatment for Hip OA With millions of Americans facing hip osteoarthritis (OA) at some point in our lives – 25% of us – it is increasingly important for our healthcare system to focus on treatments that are both cost-effective and provide the best possible patient outcomes. Historically, conservative treatment for hip OA in the US focuses more on painkillers, NSAIDs, and waiting for it to get bad enough to warrant surgery rather than on modern and more effective therapies. Medications do nothing to counter the increasing restrictions of the joint capsule, tightening of muscles around the hips and decreasing mobility and functionality that comes with hip osteoarthritis. If not addressed, these deficits result in decreased activity and exercise leading...
