More than two-thirds of surveyed patients with gout described the pain of an attack as “miserable,” but one-fourth suggested that persons who do not have gout perceive them as overreacting to attacks and two-thirds think that others do not take the condition seriously.

Close to three-fourths of women who have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) experience pain on a daily basis, even though three-fourths receive medication for pain relief, according to a new study presented at the 2010 Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), held recently in Rome.

The number of older persons in the United States who have osteoporosis is declining, according to findings from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases–supported National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Operative treatment for patients with an Achilles tendon rupture should be approached more cautiously in persons older than 65 years and in other patient groups, according to a consensus recommendation in an evidence-based clinical practice guideline, The Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Achilles Tendon Rupture, recently released by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

Health care professionals should make physical activity a vital sign that they assess and discuss with their patients as part of the recently announced National Physical Activity Plan, according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)

An educational initiative aimed at eliminating ethnic and racial disparities in the diagnosis and management of lupus was launched recently by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) in conjunction with the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health, Office on Women’s Health, and Office of the Surgeon General.

Remission must be the ultimate therapeutic goal for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to an international task force that set out to develop recommendations for achieving optimal outcomes in RA in clinical practice. Treatment targets have helped improve outcomes in other areas of medicine (eg, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension), the investigators noted, but treatment targets had not been defined for RA, even in light of major treatment changes in recent years (see Box, “Sea change in RA treatment"). Therefore, using evidence obtained from a systematic literature review and expert opinion, they formulated a consensus finding that resulted in 10 recommendations for treatment to target in RA.

The STOP Sports Injuries campaign was launched recently by a coalition of organizations to educate athletes, parents, trainers, coaches, and health care professionals about the rapid increase in youth sports injuries currently taking place, the steps needed to reverse the trend, and the need to keep young athletes healthy. Program components include teaching proper prevention techniques and discussing the need for open communication. Featured are public service announcements; a Web site with information about sport-specific injuries; and “The Pledge” with which participants agree to become advocates for sports safety and adopt appropriate preventive measures.

Older patients with advanced knee osteoarthritis (OA) who have undergone total knee replacement (TKR) surgery experience significantly improved dynamic balance in addition to pain relief and improved function, according to a study presented at the recent American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) annual meeting in New Orleans. In another study, researchers found that patients may participate in high-impact sports activities after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) without increasing the risk of early implant failure—and may even achieve better clinical scores.

Virtually all health care professionals who responded to a recent survey thought that exercise is good medicine for expecting mothers. However, 60% of the physicians and 86% of the doctors of osteopathy were not familiar with current pregnancy exercise guidelines.

The CDC and the Arthritis Foundation (AF) are spearheading a new initiative designed to reduce the effect of osteoarthritis (OA) on Americans. In response to the recommendations outlined in this action plan, the AF also is cooperating with the Ad Council and the American College of Rheumatology in sponsoring a national public awareness campaign for OA management and prevention.

More than 261,000 persons visited an emergency department in 2007 because they had a distal radius fracture, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). To improve patient care for those who sustain this injury, the AAOS released an evidence-based clinical practice guideline, The Treatment of Distal Radius Fractures.

Psychological effects resulting from psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are more likely to occur in African Americans, Asians, and Latinos than in whites, according to a recent National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) survey report. In addition, very severe disease is more common among members of these groups.

Total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) is preferred over hemiarthroplasty in the treatment of patients who have glenohumeral osteoarthritis (GHOA) in the strongest of 16 recommendations in a new evidence-based clinical practice guideline developed by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). The AAOS guideline is designed to help physicians improve treatment of patients with shoulder pain by applying the best current evidence in making clinical decisions about GHOA.

Obesity poses a significant public health challenge that increases the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, some cancers, osteoarthritis, and other conditions, according to the NIH. Therefore, the organization is leading a new obesity prevention initiative that will use findings from basic research on human behavior to develop more effective interventions to combat the problem.

New evidence-based musculoskeletal disease prevention and treatment guidelines for general practitioners have been issued by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and osteoarthritis guidelines have been released, and osteoporosis guidelines were expected to be available soon.