Joint injections of cortisone may not be safe

The extremely common procedure of injection of cortisone into joints has until recently been considered safe if not overused. New evidence is showing that may not be true. A new study in the journal Radiology showed that 8% of patients who had injections in the hips or knees had complications that worsened the state of the joint. Recent studies show little or no benefit. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons do not recommend them.
A Warning From a Doctor Who Has Done Thousands of Steroid Injections for Arthritis

High rate of disabililty after senior patients leave the hospital

We now have overwhelming evidence of the benefits of activity and I spend much time encouraging more activiity for my patients. This Kaiser Health News article references a study showing that one-third of patients age 70 and older leave the hospital more disabled than when they arrived because many times they are restricted from getting out of bed.
Can you imagine how much disability this creates?
‘Fear Of Falling’: How Hospitals Do Even More Harm By Keeping Patients In Bed

Low back pain is number 1 cause of disability worldwide

This Annals of Rheumatic Diseases six year study looked at 117 previous studies and the health and disability data from 187 countries. Overall, out of 291 conditions studied, low back pain was at the top in terms of years lost to disability. The researchers estimate that this problem will increase in the coming decades. As such, the team warns governments and health services to take the issue more seriously than they have in the past.
Do you think this is good advice?
Low back pain is number 1 cause of disability worldwide

Corticosteroid injection for plantar heel pain

t may surprise some, but I treat many non spinal conditions including plantar fasciitis, A recent review of 47 previous studies on cortisone injection for plantar fasciitis ( common cause of heel pain) found that it was no more effective than sham injection (injection of an inert solution).

Has anyone had a treatment that was successful for this condition?

Corticosteroid injection for plantar heel pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Physical Therapy, Chiropractic Back Care Cut Opioid Use, Costs

A recent study in Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open concluded that adding increased chiropractic and physical therapy coverage and other non drug services to insurance plans gave better outcomes, decreased costs, and reduced opioid use.

Physical Therapy, Chiropractic Back Care Cut Opioid Use, Costs

9 Risk Factors for Developing Sciatica

I have had many patients with more severe sciatica (leg pain from a pinched nerve in the low back) tell me with a straiight face they wished someone would cut their leg off! It can be more severe than back pain because it is a form of nerve pain.
You can decrease your risk of sciatica by working on the nine factors discussed in this article.

9 Risk Factors for Developing Sciatica

The problem with MRIs for low back pain

It seems to make sense that more medical testing gives better results, yet studies have shown that imaging for low back pain does not improve one’s pain, function, or quality of life. One of the big negatives with imaging is that there is a high amount of false negatives, which are incidental findings that do not cause symptoms, and this many times leads to unneeded further testing and failed treatments including surgeries.
So it is counter-intuitive but sometimes less testing is better.
The problem with MRIs for low back pain