Objectives. The Western Ontario MacMaster ( WOMAC) is a validated instrument designed specifically for the assessment of lower extremity pain and function in osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee or hip. In the clinic, however, we have noted that OA patients frequently have other musculoskeletal and non-musculoskeletal problems that might contribute to the total level of pain and functional abnormali...

Results: Clinically and statistically significant improvements in 6-minute walk distance and WOMAC score at 4 weeks and 8 weeks were seen in the treatment group but not the placebo group. By 8 weeks, average 6-minute walk distances had improved by 13.1% and WOMAC scores had improved by 55.8% over baseline values in the treatment group (P # 0.05). After controlling for potential confounding vari...

BACKGROUND Extracts from perna canaliculus, the Green Lipped Mussel (GLM) are widely used as a complimentary therapy by patients with osteoarthritis (OA). The current study investigated the potential of a novel GLM formulation as a treatment for OA. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial was undertaken to assess potential impacts on pain and quality of life following 12 weeks of tre...

BACKGROUND Autologous conditioned serum (ACS) is an autologous blood product that has shown efficacy against knee osteoarthritis (OA) in randomized controlled trials. However, there are few reports of its effectiveness in everyday practice. Here, we report clinical efficacy results from a two-year prospective observational study of patients with highly symptomatic knee OA who received ACS in co...

Background Meniscal tears are a common cause of knee pain and disability. The objective measurement of the health-related quality of life of patients with meniscal tears plays a key role in clinical evaluation and therapeutic decision making. Several evaluation tools have been used to measure the effects of meniscal tears on knee function and quality of life. However, most of these tools are no...

BACKGROUND Traditionally, the results of revision total knee arthroplasty have been determined with use of surgeon-based measures such as the Knee Society rating system. Recently, outcome and quality-of-life measures have shifted toward a greater emphasis on patient-based evaluation. The aim of our study was to determine the validity and responsiveness of the Knee Society rating system compared...

Purpose: To determine whether enablement was a moderator of the effect chronic back and knee pain on health-related quality life (HRQOL). Methods: This cross-sectional study 1319 Chinese primary care patients with problems who completed Patient Enablement Instrument-2 (PEI-2), Western Ontario McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Pain Rating Scale (PRS). Multivariable regression exa...

We assessed the efficacy and tolerability of low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) therapy in patients with clinically symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA) in a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind study of six weeks' duration. Patients with radiographic evidence and symptoms of OA (incompletely relieved by conventional treatments), according to the criteria of the American...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of pre-intervention factors in patient-reported outcomes at 6 months post-operatively following total knee replacement. METHODS A prospective observational study was carried out using two questionnaires sent to patients while they were on the waiting list for surgery: a generic questionnaire, the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36), and a specific que...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of lower energy flux density (EFD) extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in the early stage of avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head. METHODS Nineteen patients and 30 hips were enrolled. All subjects received 4 weekly sessions of ESWT, at different energy levels; group A (n=15; 1,000 shocks/session, EFD per shock 0.12 mJ/mm2) and group B (n=15...