British scientists have created a dissolvable ceramic bone substitute that, through a technique for building automobile catalytic converters, can be made highly porous so that natural bone cells can infiltrate it and use it as scaffolding for regrowing actual bone.

The new material, which is expected to be especially helpful to patients facing bone-implant surgery, was developed at the University of Warwick by Kajal Mallick, assisted by postgraduate researcher James Meredith. (Read more about Synthetic Bone May Assist Implant Surgery)

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Joint replacements are a major dimension of the orthopedics specialty, but they may be replaced in about 15 years by biological products that stimulate tissue and bone growth, according to a leading prognosticator.

"We will be a little in the 'Star Trek' era, potentially," said Paul Olson, director of Viscogliosi Bros. LLC, a New York investment bank that specializes in orthopedics investment. He spoke recently at an orthopedic design and technology conference. (Read more about Biological Materials Seen Ousting Joint Replacements)

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A computer-aided bone-implant technique is coming on line that will increase the accuracy of implant insertions and decrease operating room time for hip, shoulder, knee and ankle replacements - especially for younger patients.

The novel technology relies on software newly developed by the Human Mobility Research Center in Kingston, Ontario. It also depends on computed tomography (CT) scans of a patient's damaged joint. The software creates an exact, patient-specific, 3-D image of the joint and nearby bones, which can then be turned into a plastic model. This, in turn, is used for precise alignment and placement of the metal implants needed to redo the patient's joint with - in the case of hip surgery - so-called hip resurfacing arthroplasty. (Read more about Technique Aids Joint Replacements)

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1 in 4 people will ultimately die from complications caused by a hip fracture. Each year in the United States, there are 350,000 hip fractures. (Read more about Hip Fracture)

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Hispanics are the nation’s largest minority group, and they are also the fastest growing group, accounting for about half of the growth in the U.S. population since 2000. Thus Hispanic healthcare is an increasing concern that a lot of doctors are focusing their attention onto.

The growth of the Hispanic population has not been accompanied by an improvement in Hispanic healthcare. Of particular concern is the quality of healthcare Hispanic women receive. There has been a steady increase in hip fractures in Hispanic women over the past twenty years. But it’s not only because there are more Hispanic women to suffer a fracture; it’s also because of inadequate health care for Hispanic women before and after menopause.

Celia Greenberg has a Latino heritage. She says her diet rarely contained any milk or other dairy products. “The only milk I drank was the little that was in my coffee. We ate very small quantities of cheeses and no yogurt at all.” (Read more about HISPANICS AND OSTEOPOROSIS)

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Jumping off rooftops, running through burning buildings, crashing cars, it's all in a day's work for Jeff Gibson. "I did Batman movies, Robocop, Conspiracy Theory, War of the Worlds."

Some would call Hollywood stuntman, Jeff Gibson, a dare-devil adrenaline machine. In addition to performing life-threatening stunts as a livelihood, Jeff also skydives, races cars and scuba-dives. But, it wasn't on the movie set or on the race track that sparked Jeff's battle with excruciating back pain. It was a simple house chore. (Read more about ARTIFICIAL DISC TREATS LOWER BACK PAIN)

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If you or someone you love has osteoporosis, or thinning of the bones, there’s a new approach to protecting your bones along with your overall health.
It involves taking a couple of vitamins each day! (Read more about B12 FOLATE AND HIP FRACTURE)

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42 year old Lauren Hirtes is facing the quintessential challenges of the sandwich generation. She is taking care of her father who has suffered several heart attacks and a stroke and is also caring for her daughter who is battling bipolar disorder and depression.
“He uses a cane, he’s very forgetful, I do have to help him with appointments, he’s no longer able to drive, so that reduces a lot of his independence and increases his dependence on me.” (Read more about CAREGIVER CHALLENGES)

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Osteoarthritis affects over 20 million Americans. Osteoarthritis also known as degenerative joint disease results from physical changes in the joints. These joints are such as the shoulder; knee, hip or in this case, the hand. (Read more about Osteoporosis Arthritis)

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The bones of your body undergo a constant state of rebuilding and remodeling. Aside from providing rigid support, your bones also store calcium. (Read more about Osteoporosis)

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