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Bracing often is recommended for adolescents diagnosed with idiopathic adolescent scoliosis, and a spinal curve between 25 and 45 degrees. When worn consistently and as directed, braces have been found to effectively halt or slow further progression of a spinal curve, often preventing surgery.

In a new study appearing in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, adolescent scoliosis patients each received a brace with embedded sensors to monitor use. Patients were then divided into two groups. In the first group, 93 patients were told about the existence and purpose of the monitors, and data and time spent wearing the brace were discussed at follow-up visits.

Fibrocartilage tissue in the knee is comprised of a more varied molecular structure than researchers previously appreciated, according to a new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Delaware. Their work informs ways to better treat such injuries as knee meniscus tears - treatment of which are the most common orthopaedic surgery in the United States -- and age-related tissue degeneration, both of which can have significant socioeconomic and quality-of-life costs. The team published their work this week online ahead of print in Nature Materials.

Heterogeneous tissue engineered constructs reproduce the microstructural, micromechanical, and mechanobiological features of the fibrous and proteoglycan-rich microdomains in native fibrocartilage.

Scientists at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered a new, personalized approach to diagnosing low back pain. The findings from a clinical study show that serum levels of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) vary in individuals with lumbar intervertebral disc disease and that biochemical profiling of circulating cytokines may assist in refining personalized diagnoses of disc diseases. These findings are published in Arthritis Research and Therapy.

Low back pain is the second most common cause of physician visits in the US and contributes to an estimated $100 billion in US costs per year, making it clear that it causes a significant burden on both the healthcare system and the economy.

The downward dog position in yoga increases pressure on the eyes, presenting risks for glaucoma patients, according to the latest study.

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month, and the health care community is focusing on the eye condition that 2.7 million people in the US over the age of 40 grapple with every day.

Do obesity-reduction programs targeted to rural populations use CDC's 12 Common Community Measures for Obesity Prevention (COCOMO) for physical activity - and if so, do these strategies work?

To find out, a workgroup from 11 of the 21 academic centers participating in the CDC-funded Physical Activity Policy and Research Network conducted a review of the relevant literature from 2002 to 2013. Of the 26 studies that reported on strategies to support physical activity in rural areas, 22 reported on COCOMO strategies. The two most common strategies, implemented in 10 of the studies, were enhancing infrastructure to support walking and increasing opportunities for extracurricular physical activity.

Exercises that target muscles supporting the spine could reduce pain in the lower back, researchers say.

Lower back pain (LBP) is one of the most common health conditions globally, incurring substantial health and economic costs due to disability, general ill health and lost days at work.

Despite its high prevalence, the source of pain is often unclear, with the result that it is often described as "non-specific LBP.

Medtech, a company specialized in designing, developing and marketing innovative surgical assistance robots, is pleased to announce that it has received 510K clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the ROSA™ Spine robot in the United States of America.

Obtaining FDA clearance is a major step in Medtech's development strategy and will allow the Company to market the ROSA™ Spine robot in the United States for minimally invasive surgical procedures on the spine. Around 3 million such procedures are performed worldwide each year.

Bertin Nahum, CEO and Founder of Medtech, said: "We are thrilled to have FDA approval for ROSA™ Spine.

In the first paper, published on June 15th, the authors provide a set of arguments for classifying ageing as a disease. The paper by Bulterijs, Roy and colleagues propositions that disease classification is too often dependent on social and cultural context, and that separating 'normal' progression from 'healthy' aging lacks coherence and hinders efforts to ameliorate age-related suffering. For example, several currently recognized diseases, such as osteoporosis, isolated systolic hypertension, and senile Alzheimer's disease, were in the past ascribed to normal aging. Recognising aging as a unique, but multisystemic disease would provide a framework to tackle and prevent many chronic conditions; alleviating both financial, social and moral burden.