Knee osteoarthritis study at UCLA

For the millions of people living with the pain and stiffness of knee osteoarthritis, there are few effective options short of joint replacement surgery which requires months of recovery and physical therapy. Even then, many men and women can’t be considered for surgery because of their age or other medical conditions.

Now, doctors at UCLA Health are offering a promising minimally invasive option that may delay or prevent the need for a knee replacement while offering significant pain relief, reduced inflammation, and improved mobility.

More than 100 people have undergone the procedure at UCLA with more than 70 percent reporting improvement.

“Although more study is needed, the preliminary results have been overwhelmingly positive. Patients who have lived with debilitating pain for years are able to improve within weeks without any major side effects and without physical therapy,” said Sid Padia, MD, an interventional radiologist at UCLA Health who refined a similar procedure first developed in Japan.

“The outpatient procedure takes two hours, and patients are up and walking a few hours later.”

The painless procedure, called genicular artery embolization, involves injecting tiny particles into the arteries leading to the knee to reduce blood flow and, in turn, inflammation.

“While this is revolutionary for the treatment of osteoarthritis, it is a method that has been used in other areas of medicine for years, especially to shrink liver tumors and to treat uterine fibroids,” Dr. Padia said.

“We use the same particles, the same materials, and the same practices, but instead of treating tumors, we’re treating inflammation.”

UCLA will start clinical trials later this fall, and the procedure should be available at other institutions in the U.S. in 2021. UCLA has also begun using the procedure to treat arthritis pain in other areas of the body such as the shoulder and elbow with promising results.

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People with bone, joint, and muscle pain have seen their symptoms worsen during the pandemic, according to research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the United Kingdom.

A new study published shows the majority of people with musculoskeletal pain reported increased symptoms as the world adhered to new restrictions designed to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Individuals who experienced the most social isolation and loneliness were less likely to access healthcare during this time.

The findings are the result of a survey of more than 600 people across the UK to see how people with bone, joint, and muscle pain coped in lockdown.

The study was led by Dr. Toby Smith from UEA’s School of Health Sciences, and Professor Alex MacGregor from UEA’s Norwich Medical School.

“Bone, joint, and muscle pain is a major cause of disability for people across the UK,” Dr. Smith said. “People with these problems often experience pain, joint stiffness, fatigue, and muscle weaknesses.”

Dr. Smith said study results show the coronavirus pandemic is a major challenge for health and well-

being, both to younger and older people.

“When the lockdown happened, we were worried this may become a much greater problem – particularly for those with bone, joint, and muscle pain.

“We wanted to know how the new restrictions might affect pain, and better understand who is most at risk of experiencing flare-ups or reduced wellbeing due to social isolation and loneliness.”

The research team launched an online survey in late April, five weeks after the start of lockdown, in a group of 678 patients with a range of musculoskeletal diseases to see how the restrictions impacted their wellbeing and ability to access healthcare.

“We found the majority of survey participants, just over 53%, reported their musculoskeletal symptoms had worsened since the start of lockdown,” MacGregor said.

“A third of patients reported needing to access either their general practitioner or a hospital rheumatology department. As might be expected, those who accessed healthcare reported significantly greater pain, stiffness, and poorer general health.”

The study also indicated those who reported greater social isolation and loneliness were less likely to access healthcare.

“Most respondents, just over 88%, reported little difficulty accessing medication, but 44% needed the assistance of others to do this,” MacGregor said.

He said patients have been able to access primary care and hospital rheumatology departments. However, those with higher levels of social isolation access healthcare the least.

“Should further isolation measures need to be enforced as we have seen in some part of the UK as the pandemic continues, particular efforts should be made to protect and support the socially isolated as a vulnerable group.

“Healthcare providers should reach out to individual patients who do not come forward for advice, and who might be silently struggling with their disease,” he added. (The University of East Anglia provided this information.)

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By Jeff Reinhardt New Horizons Editor

Growing up in Cleveland and later in Omaha, Tom Becka enjoyed listening to the radio. “I’ve always loved communication and the art of conversation,” Becka, age 65, said during a recent interview on the front porch of his Dundee-area home.

Take a time machine to 2020, and Becka has spent the last 44 years speaking with, listening to, and entertaining audiences across the country. These days, Tom’s high-energy style can be seen twice daily Monday through Friday on Omaha’s Fox 42.

Each weeknight Becka’s Beat features a two-minute commentary on current events during the station’s 9 p.m. newscast. Weekday mornings from 7 to 7:30, viewers can tune in to Breakfast with Becka.

“It’s basically a drive-time radio show on TV for people who are working at home,” Tom said, as he removed an I Believe in Science mask to reveal his omnipresent smile.

A 1974 Omaha Benson High School graduate, Becka got his first job in radio two years later while studying broadcasting at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He spent five years spinning records and selling ads for KUGR in Green River, Wyo.

During the next several years, Tom sold advertising for radio stations in Greeley, Colo; Phoenix, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque.

While living in Albuquerque, Becka participated in an open microphone night at a local comedy club. The friendly, conversational style Tom displayed that evening on stage led to a career on the road as a standup comedian opening for names like Jerry Seinfeld, Sam Kinison, Lewis Black, and the rock band Chicago.

Becka said he was “funny most nights” performing at venues like the Gladstone Amphitheater in Kansas City, The Punchline in Atlanta, and The Comedy Store in Los Angeles.

While seeing the country and interacting with audiences were the best parts of being a standup comic, Becka said those joys were at times offset by the isolation he endured traveling from club to club.

Tired of living out of his car, Tom gave up standup comedy and moved back to Omaha in 1994 in part to spend more time with his parents, Ray and Anna Mae and siblings Joan, Maureen, and Michael.

He had also grown weary of creating new material for his act. “The creative muscle needs to be exercised every day. I had my run and I didn’t want to take opportunities away from young comedians.”

Upon returning to Nebraska – confident in his gift for gab and ability to inform and entertain – Tom approached the management at KFAB about doing a radio talk program in Omaha.

For the next five years, The Tom Becka Show and its unique perspective on life was heard weekdays at 1110 on the AM radio dial.

“The audience and I discussed what was happening in Omaha,” Tom said. “I loved the people I met and the conversations I had with them.”

The Tom Becka Show moved to Kansas City’s KMBZ in 1999 where Becka stayed until his father became ill in 2004. Tom moved back to Omaha and returned to KFAB where he worked through 2012.

Then, for the next three years, Becka hosted a radio talk

A 1974 Omaha Benson High School graduate, Becka does a two-minute commentary on the evening news and a half-hour morning show on Fox 42.

Tom has hosted radio talk shows on KFAB and KOIL in Omaha and KMBZ in Kansas City.

show on Omaha’s KOIL.

In 2015, Becka successfully pitched the idea of doing a nightly commentary on TV to the folks at Fox 42. Television is a welcome media diversion for Becka. “Radio has become so vitriolic and angry,” he said.

Shortly after the pandemic began in March, Breakfast with Becka debuted.

“I want to get people to think about things in a different light than they may have otherwise,” Tom said. “I try to be informative and entertaining, and I try to make sense out of this crazy world.”

Becka also keeps busy these days selling real estate for Better Homes and Gardens. He feels there’s a direct correlation between talking to people on the radio and TV and marketing homes to them.

Sales have always come naturally to Tom, who in 2008 wrote a book titled, There’s No Business Without the Show: Using Showbiz Skills to Get Blockbuster Sales.

At the traditional age for retirement, Becka said he doesn’t plan to slow down. “I feel like I have another 30 years in me.”

When reviewing his life and career, Tom doesn’t have any regrets. “I want people to think of me as someone whose heart was in the right place, who was honest, and who tried to make things better.”

When he does step away from the microphone and camera, Becka said he’d like to travel more and live out his dream of playing center field for his beloved Cleveland Indians.

“I’ve done a lot of cool stuff, but I have a lot more cool stuff I want to do.” For more information, go to tombecka.com.