Americans may be thick-headed about many things. But slowly, it seems, our collective consciousness is rising about the risks our favorite pastimes pose to our health. A spate of indicators suggest that, finally, even die-hard fans and resistant organizations are recognizing the brutal havoc that sports like football and even soccer can wreak on the….
Continue ReadingOrthopedics & Sports Medicine
Suggested Reading: The Trendy Therapy That’s Growing Faster than Safety Allows
Although the potential for using stem cells to treat various disorders is exciting, the science is in its infancy and the therapy is far from a standard response for managing and curing disease, much less using it in more questionable contexts. But that hasn’t stopped some practitioners and patients from “early adapting” this complex science….
Continue ReadingResearch Your Doctor’s Payments from Drug and Device Makers
For patients in our home territory of the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, here are some quick links to look up your doctor’s payments last year from manufacturers of drugs and medical devices. District of Columbia. Virginia Maryland This comes from the ProPublica database, which has obtained the numbers from the federal government in….
Continue ReadingOrthopedists’ Conflicts of Interest Lead to Overtreatment
When a doctor calls out a whole field of medical specialists for conflicts of interest that risk harming patients, things must really be rotten in the state of orthopedics. Dr. James Rickert, an Indiana orthopedist, has launched what he calls a “moral persuasion” campaign in the hope of getting his colleagues to stop performing needless….
Continue ReadingDevices Used in Knee Surgery Had No Safety Proof
OtisMed Corporation didn’t have approval from the FDA for its OtisKnee guides before it started selling them. The FDA ultimately rejected the company’s application, saying that OtisMed failed to show that the product was safe and effective. So why was the device used in the knee replacement surgery on Carla Muss-Jacobs, who suffered a terrible….
Continue ReadingCertain Knee Surgery Might Increases Chances of Arthritis
One of the most common kinds of knee surgery might not be such a good idea, new research suggests. Knee cartilage called the meniscus (there are two in each knee) are easily torn when the knee is twisted or rotated forcefully, especially during weight-bearing activity such as basketball or soccer. Surgically repairing the tears in….
Continue ReadingSurgery Often Doesn’t Work on Worn Out Knees
As they age, a lot of people have knee pain from osteoarthritis, and a lot of them undergo arthroscopic surgery to relieve it. But several studies find that the procedure offers neither improved function nor less pain for many. A meta-analysis – one in which the data from many different studies are crunched – published….
Continue ReadingAppeals Court Affirms Jury Verdict against Orthopedic Surgeons Society
An orthopedic surgeon who fought back and won a court case after the society of orthopedic surgeons slammed him for testifying that another surgeon had committed malpractice has now won an appeal of the legal case. We reported last March on Dr. Steven Graboff’s successful lawsuit against the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), when….
Continue ReadingA Word of Caution About Near-Infrared Laser Therapy
A new, hot therapy is being promoted for a range of problems, especially among chiropractors. It’s called near-infrared laser therapy (NILT), and its enthusiastic practitioners say the noninvasive, benign-sounding treatment is good for victims of strokes and head injuries hoping to recover their motor function. But as reported on MedPageToday.com, the evidence supporting such claims….
Continue ReadingStudy Questions Advisability of Taking a Break from Osteoporosis Drugs
The drugs Fosamax, Boniva and Actonel are prescribed for people with osteoporosis, the bone-thinning disorder that leaves patients vulnerable to fractures that can be life-threatening. A new study examined the wisdom of taking a break from these drugs, known as bisphosphonates, in order to reduce the likelihood of the terrible side effects for which they’re….
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