In sickness and in health

Pubmed trends showing how the popularity of analyzing comorbidities have increased over time. The search query is "Arthroplasty[MeSH Major Topic] AND (comorbidity OR co-morbidity)",  for the blue bar I also added "AND (Charlson OR Elixhauser)" to indicate that the popularity of using scores that summarize the comorbidities also are increasing.

Pubmed trends showing how the popularity of analyzing comorbidities have increased over time. The search query is “Arthroplasty[MeSH Major Topic] AND (comorbidity OR co-morbidity)”, for the blue bar I also added “AND (Charlson OR Elixhauser)” to indicate that the popularity of using scores that summarize the comorbidities also are increasing.

When I started my PhD-studies I had this idea that if we know the exact medical status of the patients and implant characteristics we will be able to explain why and when people are re-operated after total hip replacements (THR). Three years later I have just published an article in the Bone and Joint Journal about how wrong I was. In this post I’ll try to give some personal reflections on the article. Continue reading

The rotator cuff dilemma

A black-shouldered kite just after a meal, a beautiful picture that is CC and made by David Jenkins.

A black-shouldered kite just after a meal, a beautiful picture that is CC and made by David Jenkins.

Although I’m not a shoulder surgeon, I find the rotator cuff injuries fascinating. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles that surround the shoulder, providing motion and stability. Out of the four muscles, the top one is usually the most troublesome, the supraspinatus. It has a sensitive tendon that can both become irritated and cause pain and be a vital part of a rotator cuff rupture. In this post I’m going to focus on the rupture part, also commonly known as a rotator cuff tear. Note, this is not a complete review of this vast subject, more my personal reflections.
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