Arthritis Archive

You might drink milk to strengthen your bones, but it could also do your joints some good. A study reported in the June issue of Arthritis Care & Research found that women who drank low-fat or skim milk experienced a slower progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA).

The study, which was conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School, followed 2,148 participants with knee OA for four years. Researchers measured the participants' joint space in the knee to see how much their osteoarthritis was progressing. Narrowing of the joint space is a sign that osteoarthritis is getting worse. The more milk women (but not men) drank, the less their joint space narrowed.

It may be okay to try alternative remedies, but don't skip proven treatments.

The first step to treat wear-and-tear osteoarthritis is medication to reduce pain and inflammation. But many men still end up with pain, stiffness, and limits on day-to-day functioning.

If you have knee arthritis, the wearing away of cartilage at the joint, you may think that only long-term, intensive therapy will keep you walking. But simply increasing light activity may be all it takes to keep you from being sidelined. A study published in BMJ April 29, 2014, found that more time doing light-intensity physical activity—such as pushing a vacuum cleaner, walking around a room, or strolling through a grocery store—protects against knee arthritis becoming worse and against developing a disability as you age. How much more activity does it take? People who spent four hours a day doing light activity had 30% less risk of disability compared with people who spent three hours a day doing the same activities. Even among people who did almost no moderate activity, the more light activity they did, the less likely they were to develop disability. "That means that almost any activity you do that is not just sitting will keep you mobile and independent longer, able to walk around the house or go grocery shopping. The more you do each day, the better your knees will support you," says geriatrician Dr. Suzanne Salamon, an instructor at Harvard Medical School.

We don't have a way yet to cure or prevent rheumatoid arthritis (RA)—the condition that occurs when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue, leading to painful inflammation of the joints and surrounding tissues. But Harvard researchers say that drinking beer may offer protection against developing the condition. Their research, published online April 11, 2014, in Arthritis & Rheumatism, found that women who drank two to four beers per week had a 31% lower risk of developing RA compared to women who never drank. Moderate consumption of any type of alcohol was associated with a 21% lower risk. Women are much more likely than men to get RA, which usually develops between ages 30 and 60. Studies of this type cannot prove that drinking alcoholic beverages protects against getting RA, but they suggest it might. If you already have RA, don't drink alcohol without first talking to your doctor. Alcohol doesn't mix with certain RA drugs such as methotrexate (Rheumatrex). 

Q. I'm 68 and I've jogged regularly for decades, but I've developed a touch of arthritis in my knees. Will continuing to run make my knees wear out faster?

A. Having mild arthritis in the knees should not stop you from running, and the running probably did not create the problem in the first place.

If neck pain is keeping you from doing the things you enjoy, don't worry — there are ways to get you back to your normal routine. The ultimate goals of neck pain treatment are to relieve pain, restore function, and reduce the risk of re-injury.

A physical therapy program that emphasizes strength and stretching exercises, combined as needed with medication and relaxation therapies, often relieves neck pain over the long term. But when neck pain first strikes, here's what you can do:

Try these "anytime" exercises to help protect your mobility and independence.

Strong knees are crucial to daily activities like getting out of a chair or walking to the kitchen or bathroom. But thinking about taking on special exercises to strengthen your knees can seem daunting. "Older adults are often worried that doing any leg-strengthening or weight-bearing exercises will increase the 'wear and tear' on their knees and increase already present arthritis. But doing strengthening exercises around the knee joint actually helps lessen the progression of any arthritis," says Ashley Wiater, a physical therapist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. Strengthening hip muscles helps to stabilize the knees as well.

Advice to help you focus on your vacation—not your arthritis aches.

Hip and knee pain can keep you from the activities you love, as well as make routine tasks difficult. But there are many ways to get you moving again pain-free, without surgery. Here are some of the treatments that can help relieve hip and knee pain.

Ultrasound, phonophoresis, and iontophoresis

Therapeutic ultrasound is a simple procedure that uses sound waves to increase blood flow, relax muscle spasms, and aid healing that leads to faster hip pain relief and knee pain relief. The therapist applies gel to your skin and moves an ultrasound wand over your skin around the painful area. In a special ultrasound technique called phonophoresis, medication (often hydrocortisone) is added to the gel. In a survey of orthopedic physical therapists, more than half said they would use ultrasound and phonophoresis to reduce soft-tissue inflammation (in tendinitis or bursitis, for example). These techniques are also used to manage pain, heal tissue, and help muscles stretch.

Just opening a jar can be a harsh reminder of the limitations rheumatoid arthritis places on daily life. Early and aggressive treatment can often help.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic degenerative inflammatory disease of the joints. More than two million Americans have the condition; about 70% of them are women.