Osteoarthritis year in review 2025: Epidemiology and Therapy.

Aim: To summarise key epidemiological and therapeutic research on osteoarthritis (OA) published between April 2024 and March 2025.

Methods: A narrative review was conducted using the MEDLINE database, focusing on English-language studies involving human participants published between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025. Eligible studies included observational longitudinal studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and phase II-IV randomised controlled trials (RCTs) examining OA treatment and epidemiology.

Sleep Measurement in Osteoarthritis and Inflammatory Arthritis: A Systematic Scoping Review Protocol.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) and inflammatory arthritis (IA), including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and axial spondylarthritis (axSpA), are leading causes of disability worldwide, significantly impacting health and quality of life. Sleep issues are highly prevalent in these populations, exacerbating pain, fatigue, and disease activity. However, there is a dearth of evidence regarding how sleep disorders should be assessed.

Change in willingness for surgery and risk of joint replacement after an education and exercise program for hip/knee osteoarthritis: A longitudinal cohort study of 55,059 people.

Background: Numerous studies report that education and exercise interventions can shift people's willingness to undergo joint replacement surgery for osteoarthritis. We aimed to investigate whether becoming unwilling to undergo surgery following an education and exercise intervention for hip and knee osteoarthritis is associated with lower probability of receiving actual surgery.

Methods And Findings: This was a register-based cohort study including people from the Swedish Osteoarthritis Register who underwent a 3-month education and exercise intervention for knee or hip osteoarthritis.

Association Between Prescribed Dosage of Resistance Exercise and Change in Pain and Physical Function in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review With Meta-Regression.

Objective: To assess whether there is an association between total prescribed dosage of resistance exercise (volume, frequency, intensity, and duration) and change in pain and physical function in individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Method: A systematic review with meta-regression was conducted, searching MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials until December 11, 2024. We included randomised controlled trials that compared resistance exercise for knee OA with non-exercise interventions.

Perceived barriers and facilitators to exercise adherence in osteoarthritis: A thematic synthesis of qualitative studies.

Objective: Exercise is a first-line intervention for osteoarthritis (OA). However, exercise adherence remains low, and existing studies exploring factors influencing adherence have yielded inconclusive results based on quantitative data. This study aims to synthesise qualitative studies focused on the perceived facilitators and barriers affecting exercise adherence in individuals with OA.

Impact of an intervention for osteoarthritis based on exercise and education on metabolic health: a register-based study using the SOAD cohort.

Objective: This study evaluated the effects of a 6-week osteoarthritis (OA) exercise and education intervention on metabolic health markers, including blood pressure (BP), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), cholesterol levels and weight in individuals with both OA and diabetes.

Methods: Data originated from the Swedish Osteoarthritis and Diabetes cohort, which is composed of the Swedish Osteoarthritis Register (SOAR) and National Diabetes Register. We included individuals diagnosed with OA and diabetes who underwent the intervention between January 2008 and December 2019, matched with controls with diabetes who did not based on birth year, sex, OA site (hip/knee) and OA diagnosis year.

Treatment Utilisation and Satisfaction With Management in Individuals With Osteoarthritis and Metabolic Multimorbidity: A Cross-Sectional Multi-Country Study.

Purpose: To compare treatment utilisation for osteoarthritis (OA) and satisfaction with OA management between individuals with and without comorbid metabolic conditions (e.g., diabetes, obesity, dyslipidaemia, hypertension).

Physical health in young males and risk of chronic musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases by middle age: A population-based cohort study.

Background: Cardiovascular, respiratory, and musculoskeletal disease are among the leading causes of disability in middle-aged and older people. Health and lifestyle factors in youth have known associations with cardiovascular or respiratory disease in adulthood, but largely unknown associations with musculoskeletal disease.

Methods And Findings: We included approximately 40,000 18-year-old Swedish males, who completed their conscription examination in 1969 to 1970, followed up until age of 60 years.

Expected features of the course leader in the rehabilitation healthcare professionals' higher education: A qualitative study on students' perspectives.

Course leaders in rehabilitation healthcare professionals' higher education face challenges stemming from multi-disciplinarity and the co-existence of different stakeholders. So far, the literature mainly attributed to course leaders' managerial tasks, neglecting other fundamental transversal skills. Students represent an essential source of information for understanding the expected characteristics and roles of course leaders in rehabilitation healthcare degree programmes.

Relationship Between Number of Different Lower-Limb Resistance Exercises Prescribed in a Program and Exercise Outcomes in People With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review With Meta-Regression.

Objective: We determine whether there is a relationship between the number of different lower-limb resistance exercises prescribed in a program and outcomes for people with knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: We used a systematic review with meta-regression. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, and Embase up to January 4, 2024.

Shared genetic factors between osteoarthritis and cardiovascular disease may underlie common etiology.

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common musculoskeletal diseases and increases the risk of severe cardiovascular disease, like heart attack and stroke. In some individuals, osteoarthritis and cardiovascular disease will co-occur. This co-occurrence might be due to shared risk factors, for example high age, lifestyle factors and/or a shared genetic liability for the two diseases.

Physiotherapy students' academic performance and satisfaction after following a chest physiotherapy course in hybrid mode: a case-control study.

Hybrid e-learning offered flexibility for students who could not attend in-person classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, but its effectiveness in teaching chest physiotherapy remains to be determined. This retrospective case-control study assessed physiotherapy students' academic performance and satisfaction with a hybrid classroom approach adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic for teaching airway clearance techniques. Physiotherapy students participated in a 'Critical area and airway clearance techniques' seminar in person or remotely.

Antihistamine use and osteoarthritis or joint pain.

Objectives: Antihistamines have been reported to be linked with less pain in osteoarthritis. We aimed to estimate associations between antihistamine use and three outcomes: prevalent osteoarthritis, current joint pain, and developing osteoarthritis.

Methods: We included 25 003 participants of EpiHealth - a cohort of persons aged 45 to 75 from Malmö/Uppsala in Sweden.

Geographical Differences in the Perspective of Osteoarthritis Care Management: A Cross-Sectional Study in Italy, Sweden and Russia.

Background: This study aimed to explore the awareness, experiences, and beliefs of individuals with osteoarthritis (OA) regarding their healthcare management, along with assessing their overall satisfaction levels.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Italy, Sweden, and Russia, rigorously developed based on OA international guidelines in collaboration with healthcare professionals and individuals with OA. Participants over 40 years of age with self-reported hip and/or knee OA were eligible.

Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases and Risk of Dementia: A Nested Case-Control Study.

Objective: To investigate the associations between rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) and incident dementia using population register-based data.

Methods: This nested case-control study was conducted based on a cohort of residents in the Skåne region, Sweden, aged 50 years and older in 2009 without doctor-diagnosed dementia during 1998 to 2009 (n = 402,825). Individuals with a new main diagnosis of dementia during 2010 to 2019 were identified as incident patients with dementia (n = 22,131).

Osteoarthritis Year In Review 2024: Rehabilitation and outcomes.

This Year in Review presents key highlights from recent research relating to osteoarthritis rehabilitation and its outcomes, defined as any non-pharmacological and non-surgical treatment that aims to improve osteoarthritis symptoms at any joint. Three databases (Medline, Embase, and CINAHL Plus) were searched between 1 March 2023 to 12 March 2024. Relevant studies were chosen based on the predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria, perceived clinical importance, quality, controversy in the field, or personal interest, and organised into four overarching themes (with 1-5 sub-themes each).

Frequent use of prescription NSAIDs among people with knee or hip osteoarthritis despite contraindications to or precautions with NSAIDs.

Objective: To describe the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), opioids, and physiotherapy (PT) among persons with newly diagnosed knee or hip osteoarthritis (OA) with and without NSAID contraindications or precautions.

Design: We used population-based register data to identify adults aged ≥35 as of January 1, 2014, residing in Skåne region (Sweden) between 2004 and 2013, without a previous knee or hip OA diagnosis. Among this cohort, we identified people with incident knee or hip OA diagnosis between 2014 and 2018 and the presence of contraindications to or precautions for oral NSAIDs at the time of OA diagnosis.

Twenty-year trajectories of morbidity in individuals with and without osteoarthritis.

Objectives: To identify multimorbidity trajectories over 20 years among incident osteoarthritis (OA) individuals and OA-free matched references.

Methods: Cohort study using prospectively collected healthcare data from the Skåne region, Sweden (~1.4 million residents).

The coexistence of diabetes, hypertension and obesity is associated with worse pain outcomes following exercise for osteoarthritis: A cohort study on 80,893 patients.

Objectives: To investigate how the co-occurrence of diabetes, hypertension and overweight/obesity is associated with pain following an exercise intervention for knee and hip osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: Register-based cohort study. We included people from the Swedish Osteoarthritis Register who underwent education and exercise for knee or hip OA.

Wearable Devices to Improve Physical Activity and Reduce Sedentary Behaviour: An Umbrella Review.

Background: Several systematic reviews (SRs), with and without meta-analyses, have investigated the use of wearable devices to improve physical activity, and there is a need for frequent and updated syntheses on the topic.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate whether using wearable devices increased physical activity and reduced sedentary behaviour in adults.

Methods: We conducted an umbrella review searching PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, the Cochrane Library, MedRxiv, Rxiv and bioRxiv databases up to February 5th, 2023.

Income-Related Inequality Changes in Osteoarthritis First-Line Interventions: A Cohort Study.

Objective: To examine income-related inequality changes in the outcomes of an osteoarthritis (OA) first-line intervention.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Swedish health care system.