World Pediatric Bone and Joint Day - October 19

"Kids and Vitamin D Deficiency" was the focus of the inaugural World Pediatric Bone and Joint Day (PB&J Day) on October 19. World PB&J Day highlighted the impact of musculoskeletal conditions on children and educated health care providers and the public about children's musculoskeletal health issues. Nearly 48% of adults have a musculoskeletal condition, many of which began in childhood. Children represent 10% of the population with a disabling musculoskeletal condition.

For more information, www.usbjd.org/rd/?WorldPBJDay.

World Osteoporosis Day - October 20

International organizations promoted awareness during Bone and Joint Health National Awareness Week. Click here to see the activities.

World Osteoporosis Day - October 20

Unbreakable Embrace

National Osteoporosis Foundation in support of World Osteoporosis Day 2011 joined the Unbreakable Embrace. Standing tall with other people around the world to show support for those with osteoporosis helped put an end to this silent disease that threatens our health, happiness and independence as we age.

For more information and to find out more about the theme Steps to Prevention: Calcium, Vitamin D and Exercise, please go to www.worldosteoporosisday.org and love your bones.

National Action Week 2010

The Arthritis Foundation coordinated several other exciting events:

Walk Around the World

Supporters "walked" around the world until October 31 to raise awareness that moving is the best medicine to fight arthritis pain. The goal was to walk 24,906 miles collectively--the circumference of the world.

"Ask the Expert" Twitter Party

An online, real-time, question-and-answer event was held on October 12. Participants engaged in a direct "conversation" with arthritis experts Dr. Patience White and Dr. Arthur Weinstein.

Water Bottles for Congress

The Arthritis Foundation delivered special water bottles to all members of Congress on October 12.

They're "special" because they're tagged with information about the physical challenges and burdens of various forms of arthritis - not just valuable facts, but recommendations for crafting new legislation on behalf of people with arthritis at school and in the work place.

World Spine Day - October 16

Just Start Walking!

World Spine Day is October 16, we encouraged you to Just Start Walking for improved spinal, bone and joint health. In America, with 66% of the adult population overweight or obese, it is imperative to increase our activity levels. Benefits of regular brisk walking include improved spinal, bone and joint health and increased mental clarity.

Just Start Walking Challenge encouraged people to take action during National Action Week by focusing on excellent upright posture and slightly increased arm-swing for enhanced biomechanical integration.

Just Start Walking may be translated and adapted as necessary to fit local/national cultural contexts. The program is cost-free and without copyright. For more information and tools to begin your walking program, visit www.straightenupamerica.org.

Scoliosis - Great Time to Give Thanks!

In recognition of this important day, The National Scoliosis Foundation awarded two new healthcare providers who have helped patients with scoliosis through difficult times. The award rewarded them for motivating their patients to start moving again.

Awards were open to all healthcare providers including School Nurses, Physical Therapists, Nurses, Orthotists, Chiropractors, Primary Care, Pediatricians, Orthopaedists, and Orthopedic Surgeons.

The two awards being presented were:

• The "Make a Difference (MAD)" award - the healthcare provider who has the most thank-you cards.
  
• The "Change of Life" award - the healthcare provider with the most compelling story about giving help and hope to a scoliosis patient.

Both award winners will be featured on the NSF website and in the next NSF newsletter. For more information about NSF please go to www.scoliosis.org.

World Osteoporosis Day - October 20

The National Bone Health Challenge

The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) created a theme this year celebrating mothers and daughters.

The National Bone Health Challenge, a new initiative and collaboration between NOF, the Cleveland Clinic and Fab Over Fifty, launched on October 20, World Osteoporosis Day, and will continue in phases throughout summer 2011.

The National Bone Health Challenge connects women across the country with renowned osteoporosis experts on FabOverFifty.com and provides access to the National Osteoporosis Foundation's patient-centered resources. Women are able to submit their bone health questions and watch video interviews with osteoporosis experts explaining the latest on prevention and treatment. They'll also find links to NOF educational content and meet real women who are fighting osteoporosis.

Each woman who visits the site is challenged to take three simple steps to save her bones:

(1) Visit her doctor to assess her risk factors.

(2) Work with her doctor to develop a plan of action to either prevent or treat bone loss.

(3) Comment on Faboverfifty.com with what she's doing to keep her bones strong.

Women who participate in the National Bone Health Challenge will be entered to win an incredible prize package worth over $3,000 courtesy of FabOverFifty.com.

In The Community...

The Center for Advanced Surgical Specialties NSLIJ-Southside Hospital in New York promoted World Osteoporosis Day with a lecture that included a Fit to a T Session, health fair and fundraising event.

NSLIJ-Southside Hospital promoted World Osteoporosis Day by displaying health information about osteoporosis in the main hospitals as well as supporting the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade public education programs by hosting a fundraiser in which patrons received a USBJD pin. An NSLIJ-Southside Hospital dietician discussed proper nutrition to prevent osteoporosis and Dr. Daniel Brandenstein, Orthopaedic Spine physician, gave a lunch lecture on "Osteoporosis and Bone Health" which included a Fit to a T presentation. The event was advertised in local newspapers and health system.

Children and Bone and Joint Health

Every day is a special day for children, especially when it comes to building strong bones and flexible joints. This year the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade highlighted the effects of childhood obesity on bone and joint health.

A global epidemic of childhood obesity can have a devastating impact on a child's musculoskeletal system. Because healthy bones and joints are the building blocks of a healthy body, when extra weight stresses growing bones it can cause pain and interfere with normal childhood growth and development.

"Families seem to have a better understanding that obesity in children can contribute to heart problems or lead to diabetes, but we fear they're overlooking the potential impact on their child's joints, muscles and bones," says Paul Esposito, MD, orthopaedic surgeon at Children's Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, Neb.

Click here to read more about this and the real life stories of Samantha and Jalal.

Shriners Hospitals for Children highlights the importance of building bone mass in children to avoid osteoporosis later in life. While osteoporosis most typically affects persons over age 50, Shriners explains, the best defense against it begins in childhood.

Global Initiatives

International organizations took action during Bone and Joint Action Week. Click here to see the activities.

Launch event with the New York Giants

On October 8, 2006, the Bone and Joint Decade's National Action Week was launched at a game of the New York Giants vs. the Washington Redskins. The event was organized by the NY Giants and the International FOP Association to especially raise awareness of Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP).

Thanks to the team, attendees of the New York Giants-Washington Redskins game at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ viewed a special 90-second video on FOP during select timeouts. The video helped "kick off" National Action week, which runs from October 12 to 20.

Several families affected by FOP from New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, along with friends, gathered at the Giants Stadium for the October 8 game. Organized by the NY Giants, they were invited to observe the Giants - Redskins practice, as well as to participate in the pre- and post-game festivities. "It was an experience that I will never forget. Thank you so much for an unforgettable day," said FOP patient, Laura Rossano to FOP advocate Gary Whyte who worked with the NY Giants to organize the day.

"It was a beautiful sight to see Sophia's face light-up after having her face painted with the Giants blue and white colors," said parent Connie Green.

Positioned on the sidelines during the practice, FOP patient Laura Rossano, 17, bright and bubbling with enthusiasm in her Giants jersey was approached by one of the Redskins coaching staff who gave her a football from the team. Jay Feely of the New York Giants and a referee then went over to her with an NFL pin. Chad Morton of the New York Giants presented FOP patient Daniel Licht, 12, with a football.

Anannouncement at the beginning of the game directed the 75,000 people attending the game to the big stadium screens to watch a 90-second video about FOP. After the game (NY Giants 19, Washington Redskins 3) the gathering went back to the bubble for post-game activities and a lot of autographs.

"You have some idea of how much fun these kids had, but you have only an inkling of how much it will mean when they are in pain and they can bank on the memory of that day which will bring a smile to their lips, years later, decades even," reported parent Jeri Lidht.

"The day was amazing for several reasons. Not only did it create awareness of FOP to an audience of 75,000 people, but perhaps even more importantly, it allowed families in the FOP community to gather together and have fun together, something that unfortunately does not happen very often," added patient Holly Pullano. The same feeling was clear for Zachary Kane who told his mother, "Mom, I had a really good day today. I always feel like I am the only one with FOP and now I have finally met others with it."

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Choices and Outcome of Joint Replacements - A Public Symposium
Along with the growth in the numbers of people over the age of 60, extended lifespans, and more active lives, has come a parallel increase in the incidence of osteoarthritis. As a result, the curves in the number of individuals receiving joint replacements continue to rise, particularly for knee replacement. Not surprisingly, there have been significant technological advances in all aspects of joint replacements in the past decade, to the point where even the experts find it difficult to predict what advantages will be translated to the patient. After all, it can take many years of clinical research to test the outcomes. Nevertheless, several manufacturers are using Direct-to-Consumer advertising, while hospitals and individual doctors are using the Internet, to persuade prospective patients of the advantages of their products, methods or services. With the idea of trying to see this complex situation through the eyes of prospective total joint patients, Chitranjan S. Ranawat, MD, Chief of Orthopaedics at Lenox Hill Hospital, and Peter S. Walker, PhD, Director of the Laboratory for Minimally-Invasive Surgery at NYU-Hospital for Joint Diseases held a Public Symposium in New York on October 9, 2006. The Arthritis Foundation and the Bone and Joint Decade cooperated in publicizing the meeting, which resulted in attendance by over 60 people, together with surgeons and researchers who had been attending an orthopaedic conference immediately prior. There were three sessions, Choices in Total Joint Design, Surgical Technique and Pain Management, and Effectiveness of Rehabilitation, each session having three speakers and a Chairman. These individuals were internationally recognized experts from all around the USA, with our own hospitals in New York well represented. The audience had never had such an experience at hearing first hand of the state of the art of the field and the complexities involved. They learned that things are not black and white but that many newer technologies are still under investigation. When is a uni knee or a rotating platform preferable to a standard fixed-bearing design? Is a cemented hip better than an uncemented, or are the new surface replacements the best choice? Are hard bearings such as ceramic-on-ceramic and metal-on-metal better than metal-on-polyethylene? Should the patient insist upon a minimally-invasive procedure, and will this enable them to go home the next day? How much effort should they expend in a rehab program after their total knee and will it produce a quicker recovery? From the viewpoint of the panelists, they had never been confronted directly by a large group of prospective patients, all asking them the leading questions that they themselves are concerned with. The Symposium probably gave everybody a much better perspective. In spite of the wide range of options available today, everybody's case is individual and no two treatments and outcomes will be exactly the same. The success of the Symposium may well encourage others to set up similar events which may result in a better understanding between the patient and the physician.

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Cup Cakes Galore

Some 200 staff of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and specialty societies with offices in the AAOS building located in Rosemont, Illinois, as well as staff at the nearby offices of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, were invited to celebrate National Action Week and learn more about the Decade, on Thursday, October 12.

Dubbed 'Cup Cake Day' everyone received a cup cake sporting a card about National Action Week, and items about the Decade, including a copy of the Presidential Proclamation that established the National Bone and Joint Decade.

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Wickenburg Celebrates with Brown Bag Session

Citizens of Wickenburg in Arizona were invited to a brown bag session on bone and joint health October 12.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Updates Arthritis Prevalence Figures

Timed to coincide with Bone and Joint National Action Week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an update on the prevalence of doctor-diagnosed arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitation in the October 13 edition of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). National Action Week was announced on the cover page of MMWR next to the arthritis prevalence update.

Arthritis is highly prevalent among U.S. adults and is expected to affect approximately 67 million adults by 2030. This report updates estimates of the prevalence of doctor-diagnosed arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitation in the adult U.S. population. The findings indicate that during 2003--2005, approximately 46.4 million persons had doctor-diagnosed arthritis (1 in 5 people) and 17.4 million had arthritis-attributable activity limitations, making it one of the most chronic conditions and underscoring the need to increase availability of evidence-based arthritis prevention and management interventions.

Over 38%, or 17 million, adults are limited in their activities because of their arthritis. Women, older adults and racial/ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected. Increasing physical activity, losing excess weight, and participating in self-management education classes have been shown to reduce pain, improve functional limitations and mental health, and reduce disability among persons with arthritis. Increasing the availability of these evidence-based interventions in the community should be a critical public health goal.

Click here to read the full report.

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Multidisciplinary Prosthetics Conference
University of Kansas Medical Center
October 13, 2006 - There are approximately 350,000 amputees in the United States, with the number projected to continue to rise due to trauma, including armed conflict, and complications of diabetes. The appropriate care of amputees requires communication between orthopaedic surgeons, physiatrists, prosthetists, and physical and occupational therapists. This is the type of multidisciplinary approach to musculoskeletal care that lies at the core of the Decade. In an effort to enhance this dialogue, as well as to discuss basic and emerging technologies regarding amputation and amputee care, the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery, led by Kim Templeton, MD, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, led by the Chair of the department, George Varghese, MD, and Prosthetics represented by Matt Luetke, CPO, organized a conference at the University of Kansas Medical Center on October 13, 2006, in recognition of the Bone and Joint Decade.s National Action Week. The conference was attended by members of the departments of orthopaedic surgery and physical medicine and rehabilitation, as well as prosthetics and physical therapy.

The conference was opened by Dr. Templeton who discussed the goals of the Decade and the recent United Nations treaty to improve the rights of people with disabilities. Invited speakers included Michael Pinzur, MD, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation at Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago; Heikki Uustal, MD, Medical Director, Prosthetics and Orthotics, JFK Johnson Rehabiliation Institute, Edison, New Jersey; and Jack Uellendahl, CPO, Hanger Orthotics and Prosthetics. Dr. Pinzur spoke on the surgical considerations in upper and lower extremity amputations, emphasizing that the most common cause of a poorly functioning stump is surgical technique.

Overview

Calendar

World Pediatric Bone and Joint (PB&J) Day

Highlights of Previous Years National Awareness Weeks

Healthcare Professionals and NAW

Public, Patients and National Action Week

Children and the Effects of Obesity