M.R.I. scans almost always turn up something abnormal, but most of those abnormalities are inconsequential and require no medical treatment. Some sports-medicine physician specialists are speaking out against what they see as the massive overuse of M.R.I. (magnetic resonance imaging) scans for sports- and exercise-related injuries, according to an article that ran this past weekend …

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Most Americans assume if a loved one or breadwinner is killed or seriously injured on the job, insurance — at the very least, the workers’ compensation insurance that states generally require employers to carry — will help with the resulting expenses. But a pair of recent cases cast doubt on whether this system is working …

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Most states in the northeastern region reported deteriorating workers’ compensation underwriting results last year, according to latest data from A.M. Best. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maine and Rhode Island were especially hard-hit. Pennsylvania’s direct premiums written fell 8.6 percent last year. New Jersey’s fell 8.3 percent. Delaware’s was down by 8.1 percent. Maine fell 5.5 …

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Elderly patients who suffered in-hospital were found to be no more active than patients who did not fall, according to a study from the University of Texas. Investigators for the retrospective case-control study, published in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, analyzed the mobility patterns of elderly patients aged 65 years or older who …

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  (HealthNewsDigest.com) – NEW YORK — Winter is a special time for celebration. It should also be a time for added caution if you or someone in your family is an older adult. It is the season for falls, slips on icy streets, and other dangers that can be especially harmful for older adults. “Something …

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U. PITTSBURGH (US) — Seven years after a motorcycle accident damaged his spinal cord and left him paralyzed, 30-year-old Tim Hemmes reached up to touch hands with his girlfriend in a painstaking and tender high-five.   The project, one of two brain-computer interface (BCI) studies under way at the University of Pittsburgh, used a grid …

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Most states in the northeastern region reported deteriorating workers’ compensation underwriting results last year, according to latest data from A.M. Best. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maine and Rhode Island were especially hard-hit. Pennsylvania’s direct premiums written fell 8.6 percent last year. New Jersey’s fell 8.3 percent. Delaware’s was down by 8.1 percent. Maine fell 5.5 …

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HOMER, N.Y. (AP) – A high school football player in central New York died Friday night after he suffered a head injury during a game. The fatal injury comes at a time when the safety risks of youth sports are under intense scrutiny, due to questions about whether enough is being done to protect players’ …

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NASHVILLE — With pain in her right ear, Sue Cassidy went to a clinic. The doctor, wearing a white lab coat with a stethoscope in one pocket, introduced herself. “Hi. I’m Dr. Patti McCarver, and I’m your nurse,” she said. And with that, Dr. McCarver stuck a scope in Ms. Cassidy’s ear, noticed a buildup …

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The U.S. workers’ compensation insurance segment continued to face competitive pricing, further rate decreases, weak macroeconomic factors, growing medical costs and an uptick in claim frequency during 2010. As a result, premium volume declined and underwriting results deteriorated yet again, reported A.M. Best. While the line is still dealing with the same issues in 2011, …

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