Survey: Unlimited low-impact activity ‘OK’ after TJR

Carolyn Rogers

When it comes to physical activity following total hip or total knee arthroplasty, the current standard of care is to recommend unlimited low-impact activity, according to a paper presented at the November 2008 American Association for Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) Annual Meeting.

AAOS releases technology overview on locking plates

Fareeha Shuttari-Khan

During its December 2008 meeting, the AAOS Board of Directors adopted a new technology overview (TO) on locking plates for extremity fractures. Kristy L. Weber, MD, chair of the Council on Research, Quality Assessment and Technology, presented the document, which was developed by a workgroup overseen by the Guidelines and Technology Oversight Committee (GTOC).

When a hemi is only semi-right

Amy Kile

OREF-funded study explores total vs. hemiarthroplasty More than 300,000 hip fractures occur in the United States each year—a figure expected to double by 2023. To ensure that patients receive optimal treatment, William B. Macaulay, MD, is studying displaced femoral neck fracture treatments, supported by funding from the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS).

Baseball, statistics, and orthopaedic surgery

Laura L. Tosi, MD; Kenneth L. Moore, MD

How GTOC can help improve your practice Last October, The New York Times published an op-ed piece by Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland Athletics; retired Congressman Newt Gingrich; and Senator John Kerry, calling for a greater investment in evidence-based medicine (EBM) and pointing out that “studies have shown that most health care is not based on clinical studies of what works best and what does not—be it a test, treatment, drug or technology.

Consult the AAOS ORACLE

Kristin Hitchcock

How many knee replacements are performed in patients younger than age 65? What percentage of orthopaedic practices provide physical therapy services? Is there any published research on risk of infection in orthopaedic procedures scheduled after a “dirty” case in the operating room?

Keeping up with technology

John S. Kirkpatrick, MD

ASTM workshop provides “the big picture” As orthopaedic surgeons, we are all too familiar with implant devices that fail. Happily, we are even more familiar with devices that are successful, and improve the lives of our patients by increasing mobility and restoring function. So, we continue to trust that when we reach for an implant, it will meet certain standards of durability, size, and functionality, regardless of the manufacturer.

Mobile-bearing knees: Increasing clinical benefit or just a new “spin”?

Michael E. Berend, MD; A. Seth Greenwald, DPhil(Oxon)

What do studies show about mobile-bearing knee designs? The interest in mobile-bearing knee designs for both total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA), has grown in the past few years. Although U.S.

Aching backs impact cost, disability

USBJD project draws attention to burden of musculoskeletal conditions Low back and neck pain are among the most common physical conditions requiring medical care. They also greatly affect the ability to work and manage daily activities of life. Each year one in two persons will experience back pain severe enough to make him or her aware of it. One in five will experience back pain severe enough to limit the amount or type of work he or she can do, with one in 20 unable to work at all.