Articles related to Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

This 70-study meta analysis concludes that the evidence is moderate to high that bisphosphonates and denosumab reduce the risk for hip, vertebral, and other fractures. The evidence is moderate to high that abaloparatide and teriparatide reduce clinical fractures and radiographic vertebral fractures, and low to moderate that SERMs reduce radiographic vertebral fractures, but not clinical fractures.

Beyond the strong recommendation for bisphosponates as initial medical therapy in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, the updated guidelines also suggest (not recommend) denosumab as second line therapy in women, bisphosphonates for osteoporosis in men, and romosozumab in women with very high risk of fractures. For the complete updated guideline, see Pharmacologic Treatment of Primary Osteoporosis or Low Bone Mass to Prevent Fractures in Adults: A Living Clinical Guideline From the American College of Physicians.

In a study of more than 800 rural-living men and women with knee osteoarthritis, an 18-month program of diet and exercise versus attention control yielded an average 14-pound greater weight loss in the test group – but not much difference in pain magnitude.

These specialties had the highest proportion of doctors still making student loan payments, per the 2022 Medscape report: Emergency Medicine (31%) Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (31%) Pediatrics (31%) Neurology (28%) Otolaryngology (28%) Family Medicine (28%) For the least debt-burdened: Pulmonary Medicine (10%) Public Health & Preventive Medicine (11%) Rheumatology (12%) Diabetes & Endocrinology (15%) Dermatology (16%) Cardiology (16%)

In a study involving 212 adults with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, an unsupervised online yoga program delivered via prerecorded videos over 12 weeks netted improved physical function vs. the control group. At 12 weeks, knee stiffness, quality of life, and arthritis self-efficacy improved more with yoga than the control intervention. Benefits were not maintained at 24 weeks. Adverse events were minor.

The founding editor of Comprehensive Clinical Nephrology teases out for us our physiologic response to salt, sugar, fat, and water that creates a recipe for obesity – a recipe being used daily by many Americans with obvious results. His recommendation? “Drinking more water and reducing salt intake offer cheap, easy and healthy strategies that may prevent or treat obesity.” Click to see the evidence behind the conclusion.