Bones & joints
One osteoporosis drug came with 17% less new osteoarthritis than the standard alternative
Denosumab and bisphosphonates both treat thin bones. Comparing new users in Japanese insurance records, one of them also came with fewer new osteoarthritis diagnoses over three years, at 2 fewer cases per 100 people.
Aug 31, 2026
Fusing an arthritic big toe cut walking pain from 5.7 to 1.3 in the first trial to test it
Hallux rigidus is common and its main operation had never been compared against simply waiting. A Finnish randomized trial of 90 adults found fusion beat watchful waiting by 5 points on a 10-point walking pain scale at 12 months.
Aug 28, 2026
Weekend workouts tracked bone health as well as daily ones
Two national datasets, 6,972 Americans and 52,989 Britons wearing wrist monitors, compared people who cram exercise into one or two days with those who spread it out. Bone density was similar, fractures slightly rarer in the weekend group.
Aug 8, 2026
Swimming beat advice alone for chronic back pain
A British Journal of Sports Medicine trial randomized 76 adults with chronic low back pain to swimming plus education or education alone, and found a real short-term gain that faded by a year.
Jul 28, 2026
High-impact exercise did not wreck knees with osteoarthritis
A British Journal of Sports Medicine analysis of 17,661 Danes with hip or knee osteoarthritis found those doing high-impact activity were less likely to need a hip replacement, not more.
Jul 26, 2026