MD's Don't Follow Knee Osteoarthritis Guidelines

Jan. 15, 2011 - PRLog -- MD's not following current evidence based guidelines for management of back and joint disorders is unfortunately very common. Here is another study showing that MD's rely mostly on drugs to treat symptoms and a non evidence based surgery that scrapes out the inside of the knee joint, rather than encouraging research validated exercise and weight loss. The authors note that current medical treatment is contributing to the skyrocketing cost of treating knee OA.

Around 13% of people ages 60 and older are affected by OA, and Hunter and colleagues estimated that treating arthritis and other rheumatologic disorders had an annual price tag of $128 billion in 2003 -- a number likely to skyrocket as the population ages.

While lifestyle changes are neglected in managing OA patients, imaging and surgery are relied on excessively, according to the researchers. They pointed out that up to 50% of these high-tech scans done each year in the U.S. may be unnecessary.

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Dr. Santolin has 20 years of practice experience and is board certified in musculoskeletal rehabilitation. He treats a variety of spinal, back, muscle and joint disorders with manipulation, physical medicine, rehabilitation, McKenzie therapy, and acupuncture.