Archive for the ‘Press Releases’ Category
The Foot May Be The Root
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The Foot May Be The Root
Osteoarthritis in the foot may mean it will pop up in other sites
Clearwater, Florida - The foot may be the root of osteoarthritis elsewhere in the body. A study of more than 3,400 men and women older than 40 found that those with osteoarthritis in their feet are three times more likely to also develop stiff, aching joints in their hands or knees.
Even after considering the influence of age, gender and occupation, the subjects who had foot osteoarthritis had other painful sites to worry about, according to a study by the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA), a Clearwater, FL not-for-profit research organization.
“Researchers look at the mechanical side of developing osteoarthritis as well as the genetic side,” said Frances Vaughn Wilder, PhD, the study’s lead researcher and ARIA’s executive director. “This study supports the genetic. Sometimes we develop osteoarthritis because of our genes.”
Osteoarthritis, which is the “wear and tear” form of arthritis, affects 27 million Americans after the age of 50. The study that correlates the effects of obesity in the peer-reviewed international journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage.
Since 1988, the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA) has been studying thousands of participants to learn more about osteoarthritis. The 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit research organization is based in Clearwater, FL, but its findings have been published worldwide. ARIA’s x-ray database is globally acknowledged as one of the most complete sources of information about the progression of osteoarthritis. For information, call (727) 461-4054.
Contact:
Michele M. Barrett
michelebarrett@gmail.com
300 S Duncan Ave
Suite 188
Clearwater, FL 33755
(727) 461-4054
(888) 554-2742
Prescription for Exercise Dropouts
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Prescription for Exercise Dropouts
Pain medications can cause some adults to drop out of exercise programs
Clearwater, Florida - It’s tough to figure out why people drop exercise programs; burnout, injuries or boredom are possible causes. A study of 143 adults in an osteoarthritis exercise program in Clearwater, FL pointed to another cause: relying on pain medications to ease the pain and stiffness of the disease.
During a two-year exercise study with men and women who had osteoarthritis, those who took pain medications were 54 percent more likely to drop out of the program. The dropout rate for those who were not taking pain medications was 20 percent, according to research by the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA), a Clearwater, FL not-for-profit organization.
“We’re not sure why that is, but it seems that we need to pay special attention to those medicating their pain when designing exercise studies,” said Frances Vaughn Wilder, PhD, the study’s lead researcher and ARIA’s executive director. “Those taking medications may need more follow-up and motivation to stick with exercise than those who aren’t taking them.”
Osteoarthritis, which is the “wear and tear” form of arthritis, affects 27 million Americans after the age of 50. The study that correlates the effects of obesity in the peer-reviewed journal Physical Therapy.
Since 1988, the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA) has been studying thousands of participants to learn more about osteoarthritis. The 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit research organization is based in Clearwater, FL., but its findings have been published worldwide. ARIA’s x-ray database is globally acknowledged as one of the most complete sources of information about the progression of osteoarthritis. For information, call (727) 461-4054.
Contact:
Michele M. Barrett
michelebarrett@gmail.com
300 S Duncan Ave
Suite 188
Clearwater, FL 33755
(727) 461-4054
(888) 554-2742
Bigger Risks for Littler People
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Bigger Risks for Littler People
Low Stature and the Risk of Osteoarthritis Are Related
Clearwater, Florida - “Short people got no reason to live,” according to songwriter Randy Newman’s comic tune. A study by a Clearwater, FL research organization suggests that “height-challenged” people should also worry more about creaky joints and aching knees as they age than their taller counterparts.
Fifty percent of short women showed signs of hand osteoarthritis, while only 35 percent of tall women had signs of the disease. Osteoarthritis is the “wear and tear” form of arthritis that affects 27 million Americans after the age of 50. Over 3500 persons were “sized up” for this study. For both men and women, an increased chance of having osteoarthritis in the neck, hands, knees and feet was found among the subjects with the shortest height.
“We’re just beginning to assess why shorter people have a higher chance of this disease and, unfortunately, we can’t do anything about our height,” said Frances Vaughn Wilder, PhD, the study’s lead researcher and executive director at The Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA). “But knowing that they have a higher risk for osteoarthritis can help these people take an active part in managing the risk factors they can control.”
A consistent exercise plan and sound nutrition have been shown to play a role in decreasing the risk of developing osteoarthritis. Avoiding activities that may lead to joint injuries is another good step. Some of ARIA’s other research findings suggest that joints which have been injured have a much higher risk of developing osteoarthritis.
ARIA’s study that links height and the chance of osteoarthritis was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Musculoskeletal Research. ARIA has been studying osteoarthritis since 1988. With Dr. Wilder, the paper’s co-authors were Paul E. Leaverton, Ph.D and Matthew Rogers, MS. Dr. Leaverton, Professor Emeritus, is the former chairman of the Department of Epidemiology at the University of South Florida. Mr. Rogers is a doctoral candidate and ARIA’s Director of Exercise.
Since 1988, the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA) has been studying thousands of participants to learn more about osteoarthritis. The 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit research organization is based in Clearwater, FL., but its findings have been published worldwide. ARIA’s x-ray database is globally acknowledged as one of the most complete sources of information about the progression of osteoarthritis. For information, call (727) 461-4054.
Contact:
Michele M. Barrett
michelebarrett@gmail.com
300 S Duncan Ave
Suite 188
Clearwater, FL 33755
(727) 461-4054
(888) 554-2742
Look at Your Shoes for the Clue
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Look at Your Shoes for the Clue
Ankles that turn in or out linked to a higher risk for foot osteoarthritis
Clearwater, Florida - Your shoes may be a sort of crystal ball to predict whether you’ll develop osteoarthritis in your feet. Excessive wear on the outside or inside of the soles may signal unstable ankles that have been associated with a higher risk of developing the pain and stiffness of foot osteoarthritis.
Ankles that turn in our out, even slightly, increase your risk of developing osteoarthritis (OA) in the feet later in life. Supinators—those whose feet turn out—and pronators—those whose feet turn in—are 23 percent more likely to develop the stiffness and pain of OA in their big-toe joint than those who have a neutral foot. The medical term for this condition is hindfoot valgus. A study of more than 1,500 adults with osteoarthritis found the link between foot biomechanics and foot OA.
“A difference of five degrees from a neutral foot was found to be linked to a higher risk for foot OA, which suggest a biomechanical cause for OA,” said Frances Vaughn Wilder, PhD, the study’s lead researcher and the executive director of the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA), which published the study in the peer-reviewed Foot & Ankle International. The study was co-written by Dr. Wilder with doctoral candidates Melissa Y. Mahiquez and Heidi M. Stephens.
Arthritis is a group of different diseases whose symptoms can range from stiff joints to complete immobility and pain. The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis, the “wear and tear” type that affects more than 27 million Americans after the age of 50 as their joints begin to age.
Since 1988, the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA) has been studying thousands of participants to learn more about osteoarthritis. The 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit research organization is based in Clearwater, FL., but its findings have been published worldwide. ARIA’s x-ray database is globally acknowledged as one of the most complete sources of information about the progression of osteoarthritis. For information, call (727) 461-4054.
Contact:
Michele M. Barrett
michelebarrett@gmail.com
300 S Duncan Ave
Suite 188
Clearwater, FL 33755
(727) 461-4054
(888) 554-2742
Get a Grip: Exercise Improves Hand Strength
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Get a Grip: Exercise Improves Hand Strength
In addition to its other benefits, strength training improves stiff, achy hands
Clearwater, Florida - Strength training makes you look better at the beach and helps you rake more leaves in the fall, but there are unexpected benefits to using weight machines to buff up. Grip strength which eased the stiff, achy joints of hand osteoarthritis (OA) also improved in 55 subjects who were part of a 24-month study.
The study subjects were 40 years of age and older and had OA in at least one hand joint. Their hand strength, pain and function improved after two years of exercises three times a week on a multi-station weight station. The greatest grip strength gains were made by subjects who ranged from 71 to 85 years old. Even though the exercise program was designed to benefit the body as a whole, the findings of increased grip strength could benefit the number of seniors who seek medical attention for hand OA.
“Even in those subjects that didn’t show much of a gain, strength training allowed them to maintain what they had, which is very important as we age,” said Matt Rogers, MS, one of the study’s authors and the exercise director at the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA), which completed the study. “Gripping the strength training equipment was a factor in showing an increase in hand grip strength.”
Rogers, a doctoral candidate, co-wrote the paper with Frances Vaughn Wilder, Ph.D, ARIA’s executive director. It was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Hand Therapy. Arthritis is a group of different diseases whose symptoms can range from and conditions, its symptoms can range from stiff joints to complete immobility and pain. The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis, the “wear and tear” type that affects more than 27 million Americans after the age of 50 as their joints begin to age.
Since 1988, the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA) has been studying thousands of participants to learn more about osteoarthritis. The 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit research organization is based in Clearwater, FL, but its findings have been published worldwide. ARIA’s x-ray database is globally acknowledged as one of the most complete sources of information about the progression of osteoarthritis. For information, call (727) 461-4054.
Contact:
Michele M. Barrett
michelebarrett@gmail.com
300 S Duncan Ave
Suite 188
Clearwater, FL 33755
(727) 461-4054
(888) 554-2742
Rainy Weather Doesn’t Make Those Old Bones Ache
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Rainy Weather Doesn’t Make Those Old Bones Ache
Debunking the old wives’ tale about joint pain and the weather
Clearwater, Florida - Grandpa may have been convinced that bad weather made his old bones ache but—like other myths about swallowing bubble gum or waiting a half hour after lunch to jump in the pool—the connection between bad weather and an increase in osteoarthritis (OA) symptoms is mostly an old wives’ tale.
Research by a Clearwater, FL organization that has been studying OA for more than 20 years proves there’s only a very slight relationship between the two—and only in women with aching hands. A study completed by the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA) asked 154 adults 49 years of age and older with OA to keep three-year diaries of pain in their hands, neck, shoulder, knees and feet. Their pain scales were compared to weather records from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Researchers found no significant evidence of a link between OA pain and temperature or precipitation. It was only in women with hand osteoarthritis that days with rising barometric pressure were associated with more pain.
“There are so many variables to consider when studying the weather, but the only link we found between pain and the weather was in women with hand OA,” said Frances Vaughn Wilder, PhD, the study’s lead researcher and ARIA’s executive director. “Maybe Mom knows best after all.”
The study that correlates osteoarthritis pain and the weather was published in the peer-reviewed Rheumatology and was co-written by Dr. Wilder, former ARIA executive director Betty Jean Hall, RN and John P. Barrett, MD, an orthopedic surgeon who is also ARIA’s founder and the president of its board of directors.
Since 1988, the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA) has been studying thousands of participants to learn more about osteoarthritis. The 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit research organization is based in Clearwater, FL., but its findings have been published worldwide. ARIA’s x-ray database is globally acknowledged as one of the most complete sources of information about the progression of osteoarthritis. For information, call (727) 461-4054.
Contact:
Michele M. Barrett
michelebarrett@gmail.com
300 S Duncan Ave
Suite 188
Clearwater, FL 33755
(727) 461-4054
(888) 554-2742
A Weighty Subject: Knee Osteoarthritis Worse in Heavier People
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A Weighty Subject: Knee Osteoarthritis Worse in Heavier People
Even a modest weight loss improves the symptoms
Clearwater, Florida - That beer belly and those thunder thighs you’re trying to get rid of can translate to more pain in the knees. Severely obese people are more than nine times more likely to have knee pain from osteoarthritis than those who are of normal weight, according to a study of almost 600 people with osteoarthritis.
Researchers used the World Health Organization’s Body Mass Index (BMI) scale to categorize subjects as Pre-Obese, Obese I, Obese II and Obese III. (BMI is calculated as weight divided by height squared and is used for both men and women.) Those in the Obese I category were twice as likely to have knee pain. The risks increased to four times for Obese II people and to 9.2 for Obese III subjects. A BMI of 30 or higher is considered obesity by the National Institutes of Health.
“We found that even losing a small amount of weight—10 pounds or so—can improve knee pain from osteoarthritis,” said Frances Vaughn Wilder, PhD, the study’s lead researcher and the executive director of the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA). “We can’t modify the height part of the BMI equation, but even a modest weight reduction can help aching knees feel better.”
Osteoarthritis, which is the “wear and tear” form of arthritis, affects 27 million Americans after the age of 50. The study that correlates the effects of obesity in the peer-reviewed journal Musculoskeletal Disorders. With Dr. Wilder, the paper’s second author was Matthew W. Rogers, a doctoral candidate who is also ARIA’s director of exercise.
Since 1988, the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA) has been studying thousands of participants to learn more about osteoarthritis. The 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit research organization is based in Clearwater, FL, but its findings have been published worldwide. ARIA’s x-ray database is globally acknowledged as one of the most complete sources of information about the progression of osteoarthritis. For information, call (727) 461-4054.
Contact:
Michele M. Barrett
michelebarrett@gmail.com
300 S Duncan Ave
Suite 188
Clearwater, FL 33755
(727) 461-4054
(888) 554-2742
Time to Put Another Exercise Excuse to Rest
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Time to Put Another Exercise Excuse to Rest
Exercise won’t make your stiff, aching feet feel worse
Clearwater, Florida - Couch potatoes will have one fewer excuse not to hit the bike or the treadmill for exercise: research by a Clearwater not-for-profit that researches osteoarthritis indicates that exercise won’t make aching feet feel worse.
A study by the Arthritis Research Institute of America concluded that a regular exercise program doesn’t worsen the pain and stiffness of foot osteoarthritis. X-rays of study subjects ranging in age from 40 to 91 found very little evidence that those with foot osteoarthritis felt more pain or had more damage in their feet if they were active. The findings were published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association.
ARIA’s study was written by Frances V. Wilder, Ph.D, John P. Barrett, MD and Matthew Rogers, MS. Dr. Wilder is ARIA’s executive director, Dr. Barrett is an orthopedic surgeon and ARIA’s founder as well as the president of its board of directors. Mr. Rogers is a doctoral candidate and ARIA’s director of exercise.
Since 1988, the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA) has been studying thousands of participants to learn more about osteoarthritis. The 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit research organization is based in Clearwater, FL, but its findings have been published worldwide. ARIA’s x-ray database is globally acknowledged as one of the most complete sources of information about the progression of osteoarthritis. For information, call (727) 461-4054.
Contact:
Michele M. Barrett
michelebarrett@gmail.com
300 S Duncan Ave
Suite 188
Clearwater, FL 33755
(727) 461-4054
(888) 554-2742
Another Reason to Help Mom Around the House
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Another Reason to Help Mom Around the House
Older women have a higher risk of hand osteoarthritis
Clearwater, Florida - Remember how Mom told you she worked her fingers to the bone for you? She was probably right. Research on women and hand osteoarthritis shows that stiff, aching hands are indeed more common in older women than in older men.
A study of more than 3,000 men and women by the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA) found that hand osteoarthritis was more prevalent in women. The index finger was affected in 35 percent of the subjects, with 21 percent having osteoarthritis in their thumbs and 18 percent in the middle finger.
“Considering our findings that older women have a higher risk of osteoarthritis, we might consider getting our mothers gifts like jar openers and other hand-friendly tools instead of flowers,” said Frances Vaughn Wilder, PhD, one of the study’s researchers and ARIA’s executive director. ARIA’s Director of Exercise, Matthew Rogers, was the co-author.
Osteoarthritis, which is the “wear and tear” form of arthritis, affects 27 million Americans after the age of 50. The study that correlates the effects of obesity in the peer-reviewed international journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage.
Since 1988, the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA) has been studying thousands of participants to learn more about osteoarthritis. The 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit research organization is based in Clearwater, FL, but its findings have been published worldwide. ARIA’s x-ray database is globally acknowledged as one of the most complete sources of information about the progression of osteoarthritis. For information, call (727) 461-4054.
Contact:
Michele M. Barrett
michelebarrett@gmail.com
300 S Duncan Ave
Suite 188
Clearwater, FL 33755
(727) 461-4054
(888) 554-2742
Exercise: The Gift That Keeps on Giving
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Exercise: The Gift That Keeps on Giving
Sticking with an exercise program increases relief from osteoarthritis pain
Clearwater, Florida - Sticking with an exercise program is a good idea for cardiovascular health, but it’s also valuable as pain relief from osteoarthritis. A study of 109 adults older than 40 found that those who stuck with their exercise regimen reported a 7.8 percent decrease in their osteoarthritis pain after the first year and a 10.7 percent decrease in pain after their second year of exercising.
The average age of the study participants was 74 and all had osteoarthritis. They exercised three times a week with a fitness trainer in sessions designed to increase joint flexibility, muscle strength and endurance. Participants did warm-ups and aerobic sessions on a stationary bike or treadmill in addition to weight resistance exercise.
The research points to the value of regular exercise as part of a sound treatment plan for osteoarthritis, according to the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA), the Clearwater, FL not-for-profit organization that completed the study.
“We’ve heard the cliché that ‘motion is lotion’ and, in this case, we can see that those who continued being active reaped a huge benefit from sticking with exercise,” said Frances Vaughn Wilder, PhD, the study’s lead researcher and ARIA’s executive director. “An active lifestyle can ease the pain and immobility of osteoarthritis for the millions of sufferers who are looking for relief from their symptoms.”
Osteoarthritis, which is the “wear and tear” form of arthritis, affects 27 million Americans after the age of 50. The study that correlates the effects of obesity in the peer-reviewed Journal of Aging and Physical Activity.
Since 1988, the Arthritis Research Institute of America (ARIA) has been studying thousands of participants to learn more about osteoarthritis. The 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit research organization is based in Clearwater, FL., but its findings have been published worldwide. ARIA’s x-ray database is globally acknowledged as one of the most complete sources of information about the progression of osteoarthritis. For information, call (727) 461-4054.
Contact:
Michele M. Barrett
michelebarrett@gmail.com
300 S Duncan Ave
Suite 188
Clearwater, FL 33755
(727) 461-4054
(888) 554-2742