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How Your Body Protects One of the Hardest Bones to Break

How Your Body Protects One of the Hardest Bones to Break

The scapula, commonly known as the shoulder blade, is a crucial bone that connects the humerus, or upper arm bone, with the clavicle, also known as...

Why Your Shoulder Can Move in So Many Directions Compared to Other Joints

Why Your Shoulder Can Move in So Many Directions Compared to Other Joints

The upper, or proximal, extremity of the humerus is a marvel of anatomical engineering, specifically designed to facilitate the wide range of motio...

Frontiers Research Topic Explores Precision Medicine for Pediatric Bone Diseases

Frontiers Research Topic Explores Precision Medicine for Pediatric Bone Diseases

A new Research Topic in Frontiers is focusing on 'Pediatric Bone Diseases: From Skeletal Physiology and Genetics to Precision Medicine.' This initiative aims to provide an integrated, mechanism-oriented view of pediatric skeletal disorders, which encompass a wide range of conditions affecting bone growth, mineralization, and remodeling. The topic seeks to identify shared and disease-specific mechanisms, explain genotype–phenotype variability, develop biologically informed biomarkers, and demonstrate how developmental timing influences disease and treatment response. It brings together basic scientists, geneticists, pediatric endocrinologists, bone specialists, and clinicians to support more personalized, evidence-based care for children and adolescents. The research will cover genetic architecture, cellular and molecular determinants of bone quality, developmental endocrinology, biomarkers, imaging, and mechanism-based therapies, including long-term outcomes and transition to adult care.

HSS Studies Advance Precision Medicine for Rheumatoid Arthritis Inflammation Prediction

HSS Studies Advance Precision Medicine for Rheumatoid Arthritis Inflammation Prediction

Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) investigators have presented three new studies aimed at improving the assessment of inflammation in joints for rheumatoid arthritis (RA patients. These studies, led by HSS rheumatologist Dr. Melanie H. Smith, were presented at the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting, ACR Convergence 2026. The research seeks to move beyond the current trial-and-error approach to RA treatment by developing more precise methods for evaluating inflammation. One study examined discrepancies between ultrasound results and tissue samples, finding that correlations varied based on disease stage and joint location. Another study explored the potential of synovial fluid, the lubricating liquid in joints, to predict inflammation levels. This research found that a white blood cell count of 1,400 or more per microliter of synovial fluid indicated high inflammation and correlated with higher blood inflammatory markers and subsequent medication changes. The third study identified distinct ...

Experts Recommend Regular Stretching and Mobility Routines for Joint Health Across All Ages

Experts Recommend Regular Stretching and Mobility Routines for Joint Health Across All Ages

Experts Recommend Regular Stretching and Mobility Routines for Joint Health Across All Ages

Why Your Core Muscles Are Important Even When You're Not Exercising

Why Your Core Muscles Are Important Even When You're Not Exercising

The internal abdominal oblique muscle, often simply called the internal oblique, is a crucial component of the human abdominal wall. Positioned str...

International Study, Including Pennington Biomedical, Validates New Obesity Diagnostic Framework Outperforming BMI

International Study, Including Pennington Biomedical, Validates New Obesity Diagnostic Framework Outperforming BMI

An international study, co-authored by the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in the United States, has validated a new diagnostic definition for obesity that significantly outperforms the traditional Body Mass Index (BMI). Published in Nature, this research, led by King’s College London, tested a framework proposed by a Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Commission in January 2025. The new definition aims to address concerns that reliance on BMI alone leads to misdiagnosis for millions. It improves the identification of excess body fat and differentiates between clinical obesity, where excess body fat impairs organ function, and pre-clinical obesity, where health risks are increased but organ function remains preserved. The study analyzed health data from 844,108 adults across China, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Spain. It found that adding waist measurements to BMI assessments corrected misclassifications, revealing that BMI alone missed obesity-level body fat in up to 8.6% of participants a...

Post-Menopausal Back Pain Requires Comprehensive Assessment for Bone Health and Other Causes

Post-Menopausal Back Pain Requires Comprehensive Assessment for Bone Health and Other Causes

New back pain experienced after menopause should not be dismissed, as it can signal various underlying issues, including bone health concerns. Menopause significantly impacts bone density, with women potentially losing bone mass rapidly during this period, increasing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures, particularly in the hip and spine. However, back pain can also stem from muscles, ligaments, discs, or joints, and being post-menopausal does not automatically attribute the pain to hormones or weakened bones. Clinicians require detailed information, including the pain's location, onset, and how it affects daily activities like standing or walking, to accurately assess the cause. Symptoms such as difficulty standing to cook, disrupted sleep, or a shortened walking distance provide crucial insights beyond a simple pain score.

Massage Therapy Recognized as Key Component of Wellness and Pain Management

Massage Therapy Recognized as Key Component of Wellness and Pain Management

Massage Therapy Recognized as Key Component of Wellness and Pain Management

Study suggests not all obesity means ill-health

Study suggests not all obesity means ill-health

By Jennifer Rigby LONDON, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Only between a quarter and a third of people currently diagnosed with obesity should be considered as in poor health, according to a new study that joins calls to overhaul how the condition is diagnosed.

Investigational CRISPR Therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Shows Promise but Raises Safety Concerns After Patient Death

Investigational CRISPR Therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Shows Promise but Raises Safety Concerns After Patient Death

An investigational CRISPR-based therapy, HG302, has shown successful muscle gene editing and detectable dystrophin restoration in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) during an early clinical trial. The therapy uses an adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9) vector to deliver a genome-editing enzyme designed to correct the disrupted dystrophin gene. In three participants aged 4 to 8, muscle biopsies 91 days post-treatment showed successful editing of 1.02% to 4.31% of the targeted DNA, leading to detectable dystrophin levels. However, a fatal complication occurred in a fourth participant who received a higher dose, dying approximately 81 hours after infusion due to rapidly progressing acute respiratory distress syndrome and cardiopulmonary arrest, linked to severe immune activation.

Active Chiropractic Highlights Insufficiency of Stretching Alone for Pain Recovery, Emphasizes Combined Mobility and Strength Training

Active Chiropractic Highlights Insufficiency of Stretching Alone for Pain Recovery, Emphasizes Combined Mobility and Strength Training

Active Chiropractic, through an article by Dr. Brent Reiche, D.C., emphasizes that stretching alone is often insufficient for long-term pain recovery and improved movement. The article clarifies the distinction between mobility and strength: mobility is the ability to move a joint through its comfortable range, while strength is the capacity to control and support that movement. While stretching can enhance flexibility and temporarily ease stiffness, it does not address underlying issues of weakness or lack of control. The clinic advocates for a comprehensive approach that integrates both mobility work and gradual strengthening exercises. This combined strategy is crucial because a person can possess good flexibility but still lack the necessary strength for daily activities like climbing stairs, lifting objects, or standing for extended periods. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases supports this view, recommending a combination of regular physical activity and muscle-streng...