Joint Pain Prevalence is not Declining
A current report from the national NHIS survey shows that over half of US adults diagnosed with arthritis reported moderate to severe joint pain.
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Nonrigid lumbar belts for nonspecific low back pain actually work! Multicenter French trial enrolled 168 nsLBP pts - belt group had better wk 12, lower pain scores andless need for back pain medication. https://t.co/zgRclsoAR8 https://t.co/9HVwuE1YLz
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
2026 Medscape report on Nurse practitioners shows nearly half of NPs are burned out, and for 1 in 6, that exhaustion has curdled into something heavier: both burnout and depression. Worse, 63% of NPs don't believe relief is in sight https://t.co/G8N5YgOKyA
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
JAMA: Review of Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain affects 16% of adults annually and is the third most common musculoskeletal presentation in primary care. This new review reframes the diagnostic and therapeutic approach, moving away from pathoanatomic labels (rotator cuff tendinopathy, impingement, bursitis) toward the umbrella
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Systemic Burden of Gout
https://t.co/OUgXMtH1bn https://t.co/zK7vRCevTY
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
2026 BSR Pain Guideline: What Rheumatologists Need to Know
The British Society for Rheumatology has issued its first guideline dedicated solely to pain in inflammatory arthritis (IA)—covering RA, PsA, axial SpA and JIA.
https://t.co/3Jtneox8Rh https://t.co/06ccLhjhMh
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
NHANES survey (2005-2018) studied prevalence of arthritis in adults w/ depression (PHQ-9 ≥10), From 15157 depressed pts, RA was most prevalent & increased 7.8 to 17.7%; OA unchanged 11.7 to 10.7% & PsA declined 7.2 to 1.7%. Depression assoc w/ higher risk for RA (OR 1.40) & PsA https://t.co/fcROEvsHDT
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Evaluating Inflammatory Joint Pain in Older Adults
Lee, Levinson, and Makris have published an approach to evaluating inflammatory joint pain in older adults in JAMA Internal Medicine. While intended to be a practical guide for Primary Care Clinicians (PCCs), the tenets and https://t.co/TPKEOjkcKl
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
2026 BSR Pain Guideline: What Rheumatologists Need to Know
The British Society for Rheumatology has issued its first guideline dedicated solely to pain in inflammatory arthritis (IA)—covering RA, PsA, axial SpA and JIA.
Read Article
Evaluating Inflammatory Joint Pain in Older Adults
Lee, Levinson, and Makris have published an approach to evaluating inflammatory joint pain in older adults in JAMA Internal Medicine. While intended to be a practical guide for primary care clinicians, the tenets and clues ring true for all.
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Multimodal & multidisciplinary Tx (MMT) are underutilized in adults w/ chronic pain. Study of 347 Chr pain pts - 60% used non-opioid meds; 29% used opioids & only 11% MMT. Older age & high intensity pain assoc w/ Opioids. MMT had more complex pain w/ greater pain interference, https://t.co/iF0UQeut9b
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
JAMA Patient Education Page on:
Therapeutic Use of Cannabis and Cannabinoids https://t.co/s6F7B9qLfr https://t.co/lpLGozJgvi
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
JAMA Review of Hip Fracture
The July 16th edition of JAMA reviews the highly prevalent problem of hip fractures - a major global health burden: 14.2 million occur worldwide annually (280,000 in the US), with global incidence higher in women (833.9/100,000) than men https://t.co/TiiCjoq2Hj
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
QD Clinic: Addressing Severe Gout Flares
Dr. Eric Dein, Summit, NJ, discusses a difficult-to-treat case of gout.
https://t.co/tochY0BUBj https://t.co/9hQ13cDY9s
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
A Tribute to Daniel L. Kastner, MD, PhD (1951–2026)
The rheumatology, genetics and NIH communities mourn for Dr. Daniel L. Kastner, who died on July 28, 2026, in Bethesda, Maryland, at age 74. The following are declarations, tributes, and memories dedicated to this mensch of a man, titan of science, memorable mentor and humble physician.
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Gout & Metabolic Syndrome
Dr. John Fitzgerald, Los Angeles, hates the expression "It's only Gout."
https://t.co/0JipL3kgcM https://t.co/jszxYAfZwa
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Machine learning study of 657 multiethnic Lupus pts - 14% had organic & 30% had neuropsychiatric damage. High Glucocorticoid dose was the strongest predictor or organic Dz. NP damage predicted by MD global, fatigue, pain, & steroids https://t.co/LVK57LxKk6 https://t.co/VLisZT7ReY
Links:
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
JAMA Review of Hip Fracture
The July 16th edition of JAMA reviews the highly prevalent problem of hip fractures - a major global health burden: 14.2 million occur worldwide annually (280,000 in the US), with global incidence higher in women (833.9/100,000) than men (510.0/100,000). Lifetime risk at age 50 is 22.9% for
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Cerebral atrophy is common in SLE - assoc w/ age (OR 1.1), higher education (0.22), NPSLE (OR 4.6), cognitive impairment & lower dsDNA titers. 70 pts (mean age 40, Dz dur 12yrs). Cerebral atrophy 53% (mostly 76% mild). https://t.co/ewRmNj8zNA https://t.co/yT8TCXZREA
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Swimming Reduces Disability from Low Back Pain
Swimming is commonly recommended for patients with chronic low back pain. Yet, there is little trial data investigating swimming. An Australian study has shown for the first time that a program of swimming can be clinically https://t.co/OfxsvRjyJg
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Evidence-Based Dietary Recommendations for Gout
Gout, historically referred to as the “disease of kings,” was once associated with a lifestyle of excess. Today, it is more appropriate to refer to gout as a “disease of commoners,” as it is the most common inflammatory arthritis https://t.co/uIrSeOjxJZ
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Genetic Risk Loci in Fibromyalgia
Researchers examined genetic data drawn from 11 different worldwide cohorts, that included from more than 2.5 million adults, of which 55,000 had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. They identified DNA sequence variants in 26 regions of the genome that affect the risk of developing fibromyalgia.
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Chikungunya Club Meeting (7.24.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.
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Fibromyalgia: Diagnosis and Management
https://t.co/L9nA1TlJKx https://t.co/G4bkxTsXCt
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Swimming Reduces Disability from Low Back Pain
EurekAlert!
Swimming is commonly recommended for patients with chronic low back pain. Yet, there is little trial data investigating swimming. An Australian study has shown for the first time that a program of swimming can be clinically effective in reducing disability from chronic low back pain
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Dr. Cush provides a systematic approach to evaluating musculoskeletal and rheumatic complaints in clinical practice.
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I have been investigating the mechanisms of antinuclear antibody (ANA) expression in SLE since 1978. In this pursuit, I have followed the advice of my first division chief, Dr. Ralph Snyderman, a great academician. Ralph told me to identify a research focus and make it mine. I think I have done reasonably well in my mission so you can imagine my surprise (and excitement) when, for the Lupus 2025 meeting in Toronto, I was asked to conduct a Meet the Professor session on the Type 1 & 2 model for SLE.
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