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ARMA Newsletter January 2021
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The incidence of MSK conditions, particularly neck and shoulder pain, has gone up during the pandemic. This represents a significant amount of pain that would not have happened without the pandemic changing the way we live and work. Which got me wondering how much of the pre-pandemic MSK conditions would have been preventable.
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MSK ill-health represents many thousands of lives impacted and restricted by pain and poor mobility. However great the services we have, prevention is the better option where possible.…
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Guest blog: Representation in the workforce
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by Hannah Oladugba, Physiotherapist, ACPT Network
When I first decided to become a physiotherapist, I looked to my search engine (I believe this was ‘ASK Jeeves’ at the time) for as much information on the profession as possible. I quickly found that physiotherapy is, traditionally, a profession that has long been perceived as Caucasian and middle class. And even in more recent years, research has shown that, from 2017 to 2018, only 19% of all UK physiotherapy programme student enrolments were from a Black and minority ethnic background. I say all this to highlight that when I started my physiotherapy MSc degree in Scotland, like many Black students, there were times where I felt alone or isolated, as neither the students, lecturers nor clinical educators represented me.…
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Urgent and Emergency Musculoskeletal Conditions Requiring Onward Referral
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Updated guidance was published in December to support primary and community care practitioners in recognising serious pathology which requires emergency or urgent referral to secondary care in people with new or worsening MSK symptoms. Serious pathology as a cause of MSK conditions is considered rare, but it needs to be managed either as an emergency or as urgent onward referral as directed by local pathways. Any part of the MSK system can be affected.
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Emergency conditions are serious pathologies which must be dealt with on the day as an emergency. The guidance highlights the need to keep updated on pathways for emergency referral in the local system. It sets out the symptoms to look out for in Cauda equina syndrome, Metastatic spinal cord compression, Spinal Infection, Septic arthritis, and Giant Cell Arteritis as well as for a range of conditions which require an onward urgent referral.
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Welcoming new members to ARMA
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We are delighted to announce that the McTimoney Chiropractic Association (MCA), one of four Professional Associations in the UK representing the chiropractic profession, has recently joined ARMA.
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We are also delighted to welcome EQL as associate members. EQL’s Phio Access is a musculoskeletal (MSK) digital triage support tool that uses conversational artificial intelligence to guide patients through an initial assessment of their MSK condition.
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Key coronavirus MSK resources
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ARMA is coordinating directly with NHSE and alliance members on key advice and issues, and has created a webpage for coronavirus (Covid-19) designed to provide easy access to the most relevant NHS resources and musculoskeletal guidance documents. Visit our Coronavirus info webpage.
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Versus Arthritis webinar
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What do the new NICE guidelines on chronic pain mean for GPs?
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We know that managing chronic pain can be one of the most difficult aspects of primary care consultations for both doctors and patients. The new NICE guidelines, due to be published in January, will potentially have huge implications on the traditional way of practice.
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Join Versus Arthritis for a free webinar, hosted by Dr Andrew Jackson on the new guidelines.…
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FSEM Statement on Long Covid clinics
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The Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine (UK) has published a statement on the role SEM consultants can play in new NHS long Covid rehabilitation clinics being set up in England. Read the statement here.
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Sport and Exercise as the Elixir of Life: A webinar with Sir Muir Gray
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Recently, FSEM (UK) and the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine presented an inspiration seminar by Sir Muir Gray on the importance of physical activity. You can watch the webinar on demand here.
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Latest reports from the iO
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Key reports exploring the role of osteopaths in supporting NHS services for the benefit of patient care - including the results of research into osteopaths as primary care First Contact Practitioners - have been published and are available from here.
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Helping to straighten the long and winding road
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NASS was pleased to work with Dr Helena Marzo-Ortega of Leeds Teaching Hospitals and Simon Whalley from M&F Health to produce a comment piece for The Lancet Rheumatology earlier this month. The article concluded that the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in significant disruption for people living with axial SpA (AS) and the healthcare teams providing the vital NHS services they they rely on.…
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BOA Position statement on waiting times
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Facts and figures from the British Orthopaedic Association on reduced operating times and increasing waiting times during 2020 are available here.
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BOA Annual Congress 2021 - SAVE THE DATE
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Under the theme of ‘Tackling Infection,’ the 2021 Congress will take place 21-24 September 2021 at P&J Live, The Event Complex Aberdeen (TECA).
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BOA's Christmas appeal with Joint Action
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Thank you to everyone for donating to the Joint Action Christmas Appeal this year; currently you and Joint Action donors have raised £8,000!
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If you haven’t already and would like to donate to the Joint Action Christmas Appeal and help raise funds for trauma and orthopaedic research, you can donate online via Justgiving.…
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The NOA welcomes webinar programme lead
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Mr Cormac Kelly, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at National Orthopaedic Alliance (NOA) founder member organisation, The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, has joined the NOA as Webinar Programme Lead. Since April 2020, Mr Kelly has played an instrumental role in the delivery of NOA’s COVID-19 webinar series, which continues to provide topical virtual sessions…
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to support NOA members and those across the wider orthopaedic network.
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The NOA moves forward with OQICAN
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The National Orthopaedic Alliance (NOA) is moving forward with plans to create an Orthopaedic Quality Improvement (inc. Clinical Audit) Network. The new network will enable specialist orthopaedic centres to be connected as a primary source of support and expertise in all aspects of quality improvement and clinical audit for orthopaedics.
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It is being led and coordinated by the NOA as part of its remit to bring together orthopaedic centres around the UK to share best practice and address shared challenges.
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NRAS introduces the new Young Voices panel
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In May last year, NRAS began recruiting young people to a special advisory board to act as the voice of young people living with JIA and RA. The aim was for the board to help inform NRAS on how to develop their services for teenagers, young adults, and parents of children with JIA. They are an inspirational group of young people and even through the difficult times of living with JIA and RA they have all learnt how to thrive.…
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NRAS launches a brand new website
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NRAS is very excited to announce their brand new website has gone live. A lot of work has gone into development, implementation and design, ensuring an improvement in how NRAS provides information to their members, supporters and the wider rheumatoid arthritis (RA) community. The latest NRAS publications, updates and activities can be a huge support for those who need it.
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The new NRAS Young Persons Project Co-Ordinator
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I am the new Young Persons Project Co-Ordinator at NRAS. I come to this role with a very personal experience of JIA. I have had JIA nearly all my life and a few years ago my daughter was diagnosed with it too. Thankfully, due to medical advances, the disease can be easier to manage. Unfortunately, some things have not changed: mainly the lack of understanding and awareness of JIA.…
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NRAS Making Moves with leading International Choreographer
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Recently, NRAS members who signed up took part in a dance and movement programme for people living with RA with leading International Choreographer, Didy Feldman, over Zoom, with Didy leading from the Royal Ballet School. Dutch-born Didy Veldman trained as a ballet and contemporary dancer in Amsterdam. She danced professionally for fourteen years and began choreographing in 1987.…
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Assistive devices survey
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The British Assistive Technology Association (BATA) has launched a survey, supported by the WHO's GATE Programme (Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology), called the UK Priority Assistive Products List National Survey. It is a survey about the most essential assistive products for people, aiming to create a list similar to the essential medicines list from WHO, of essential assistive devices.…
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COVID-19 and older people
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The Centre for Ageing Better and The Physiological Society have produced a report: A National COVID-19 Resilience Programme. The report says that home confinement in older people may cause: (i) cardio respiratory and metabolic deconditioning, (ii) insulin resistance, (iii) muscle loss and (iv) increased fat mass.
In addition, social isolation may be worsened. The report makes recommendations including a tailored …
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Chronic Pain and the pandemic
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Recently, Pain Alliance Europe conducted a 6-week short survey on Covid-19 and chronic pain in twelve languages to see the current situation of chronic pain patients in Europe. The survey showed initial results that during the pandemic 15% of people worried and feared taking prescribed medication. There was also impact on self-management plans – of those people who had a plan, 29% indicate they are not able to continue…
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Chronic pain in adults 2017: Health Survey for England
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A new report from Public Health England examines data on chronic pain in England and analyses inequalities in the experience of chronic pain. The report will be useful for those commissioning and delivering services for those experiencing chronic pain and policy makers in central and local government. The findings on inequalities include that chronic pain is more prevalent in women than men; in people from the Black ethnic group than other ethnicities; and in those in more deprived areas.…
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Feedback from the
MSK Together conference
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ARMA’s first ever online multi-disciplinary conference was a great end to a difficult year. We wanted to bring together the whole range of stakeholders from across MSK health, including policy makers and people living with MSK conditions to talk about how we can do things differently and work together.
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Two thirds of those completing the feedback described the conference as excellent.…
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Stay Home. Protect the NHS. Save Lives.
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Following the Prime Minister’s statement on Monday, 4 January 2021 announcing a new National Lockdown in England, Public Health England has reviewed all the content on the Campaign Resource Centre to ensure that it complies with the new restrictions. Further limits to interaction between households help in our fight to control the spread of coronavirus…
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NHS Covid-19 Vaccination campaign
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The Covid-19 vaccine will be one of the best ways of protecting yourself and starting to get back on the path to normality. Healthcare workers, social care workers and care home staff will get the free, MHRA approved vaccine. Resources for the campaign are available on the Campaign Resource Centre to be shared across your channels and networks …
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ARMA Calendar
| 8 & 22 Jan 2021 |
SOMM FCP Supervisors course |
| 9 Jan 2021 |
BOA Ortho Update Course 2021 |
| 11 & 12 Feb 2021 |
SOMM FCP Supervisors course |
| 24 Feb 2021, 1-3pm |
Versus Arthritis webinar on NICE chronic pain guidelines |
| 11 March 2021, 6-8pm |
Versus Arthritis webinar on NICE chronic pain guidelines |
| 11 & 12 March 2021 |
SOMM FCP Supervisors course |
| 21 Apr 2021 |
FSEM-NCSEM Joint Conference, Sheffield (p'poned from 2020) |
| 21-24 Sept 2021 |
BOA Annual Congress 2021 |
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We know that many people value our newsletter, webinars and the fact that we provide a voice for MSK health. We are increasingly asked: given that our membership is made up of organisations, how can an individual support ARMA? For this reason, we have set up a new supporter scheme.
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