Osteoarthritis (OA), the premature wearing away of cartilage- the gristle that caps the ends of long bones is the most common form of arthritis It is the type of arthritis that conjures up the elderly person who has aches and pains

Patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have poor prognostic factors or rapidly progressive disease are considered to be candidates for early treatment with biologic drugs such as TNF-inhibitors These drugs are targeted therapies that act on tumor necrosis factor, a cytokine, to block its action in the immune response that is out of whack in patients with RA

Prior to the development of newer biologic medications, rheumatologists were relegated to using disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS) to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) These DMARDS (drugs such as methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine [Plaquenil], sulfasalazine [Azulfidine]), were and continue to be helpful in reducing signs and symptoms of disease but do not have the ability to place the disease into remission

The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body and connects the gastrocnemius (calf muscle) to the back of the calcaneus (heel bone) The Achilles tendon is what allows a person to stand up on their toes as well as jump up and down

One of the first articles to mention stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis was an article published in the December 2003 article Arthritis and Rheumatism (Murphy JM, et al Arthritis Rheum

Low back pain is second only to the common cold as a reason to visit a physician’s office Low back pain is a common problem because of our upright stance, the demands placed on us by our daily routines, as well as our habits, many of which can aggravate back pain

If a tadpole’s tail is cut off, it will grow a new one If a salamander’s leg is cut off, it will grow a new one

Tarsal tunnel syndrome is condition where the posterior tibial nerve in the ankle is compressed In many ways, this condition is analogous to carpal tunnel syndrome in the hand where the median nerve is compressed

About 20% of the 900,000 arthroscopic knee surgeries performed annually in North America are done as treatment for osteoarthritis (Time, 2008) A knee arthroscopy is a procedure where a small telescope is inserted into a joint and debris is removed

Research on stem cells is leading scientists to investigate the possibility of cell-based therapies to treat disease, which is often referred to as regenerative medicine Stem cells have two important characteristics that distinguish them from other types of cells