MSK & Arthritis News

Access the Is It RA? Symptom Checker

Is it RA? animation

Although RA Awareness Week 2025 has come to a close, NRAS’s mission to raise awareness about Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) continues every day.

NRAS was delighted to see over 2000 people using the Is it RA? Symptom Checker – a tool that should empower thousands more people to take the next step in seeking support from their healthcare professionals.

But the work doesn’t stop there. The symptom checker is now available permanently to help as many people as possible get the answers they need.…

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NASS announces collaboration with NHS England

NASS, in collaboration with NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme, is pleased to announce the launch of its Axial Spondyloarthritis Playbook: reducing the time to diagnosis and improving patient experience. Drawing together the data and learning from the NASS Act on Axial SpA campaign, the playbook aims to accelerate efforts to reduce the time to diagnosis for this condition and provide the best information and supported self-management to those newly diagnosed, by supporting healthcare professionals to implement a set of actions in their local areas.…

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Hands-on or hands-off? Rethinking manual therapy

In the August edition of the Physio Network’s Podcast, SOMM’s Teaching Fellows, Darren Collin and Johnny Smith, discussed the role of manual therapy in physiotherapy along with the key differences between NHS and private practice.

This insightful conversation is now available to hear, and sets the stage for SOMM’s upcoming Spinal Manual Therapy Masterclass, taking place on 8th November in Liverpool – a new offering designed to sharpen hands-on skills and deepen clinical reasoning in spinal care.

The day will be action-packed with great, relevant content.…

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Reflections on opportunities for better MSK health

ARMA CEOby Adrian Bradley, CEO ARMA

Throughout my first three months in post, I have been constantly struck by the breadth, diversity, expertise and impact of ARMA’s member organisations. Last week I had the pleasure of being a guest of the British Orthopaedic Association at their Annual Congress in Liverpool. Under the theme of ‘Preventing Harm & Transforming Lives’, I attended inspiring sessions on topics as far ranging as integrating orthopaedic clinical practice with support for patients’ lifestyle modification, reducing unnecessary hospital stays in arthroplasty, calls for a national ACL injury prevention programme and, perhaps most soberingly, our preparedness for war.…

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Arthritis Action Trustee vacancies

Arthritis Action logoArthritis Action is seeking to appoint up to three new Trustees to join their Board. They would welcome new Trustees with the following areas of expertise:

  • Charity Fundraising & Income Generation
  • Law
  • Accountancy
  • IT & cybersecurity in the charity sector or small business
  • Professional experience in the NHS

Arthritis Action would particularly like to hear from individuals from under-represented or diverse groups.

Download the Trustee Recruitment Pack (opens pdf).

The deadline for applications 09.00, Monday 13th October 2025.

EULAR Edgar Stene Prize Competition 2026

EULAR PARE has announced the launch of the EULAR Edgar Stene Prize essay competition 2026 on the topic: 

“Is it all in the genes, or not? How rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) shape and reshape family connections”.  

The competition is open to people aged 18 and over living with rheumatic and MSK diseases (RMD) who wish to write about their personal experiences on the competition topic.

In addition, for 2026 entries are also invited from parents, siblings, grandparents, and adult children of an individual living with an RMD to participate (all must be 18 years of age or older).…

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Right to Rehab and Rehabilitation Awareness

BASRaT has asked its registrants to engage with Rehabilitation Awareness Week (15th – 21st September 2025) with the aim of showcasing how they have enriched peoples’ lives. Rehabilitation can be life changing and everyone should have a right to rehab, regardless of their postcode.
 
It was truly awe inspiring to hear the real-life stories that formed BASRat’s patient stories leaflet. Read the Sport Rehabilitation Testimonials here.

MSK Innovation Accelerator open for applications

MSK innovator bannerApplications are open for researchers and entrepreneurs working on innovations relevant to musculoskeletal health, to participate in the next MSK Innovation Accelerator programme.

The programme, which is the only one of its type dedicated to MSK health technologies, is hosted by MedTech SuperConnector and funded by Orthopaedic Research UK. It is designed to accelerate the development of musculoskeletal innovation and thereby create and scale early-stage MSK ventures across the UK. It involves a 6-month intensive learning journey, providing participants with entrepreneurship training, masterclasses, and access to expertise.…

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The new NRAS RA Symptom Checker

Is it RA? animation

NRAS is proud to announce they have launched a new online tool aimed at helping individuals identify early signs of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic autoimmune condition that affects around 400,000 people in the UK. If left untreated, it can cause long-term joint damage and affect other organs such as the lungs, heart, and eyes. Early diagnosis is crucial to managing the disease and preventing irreversible harm. 

To support this, NRAS has introduced the “Is it RA?” Symptom Checker, a user-friendly online resource developed with input from leading rheumatology experts.…

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Versus Arthritis Response to the Men’s Health Strategy

Men's Health strategyIn April, the government announced plans for England’s first Men’s Health Strategy, aimed at addressing the life expectancy gap and health conditions that disproportionately affect men.

To help shape the strategy, the government launched a call for evidence – and Versus Arthritis used this opportunity to highlight the estimated 8.7 million men in England living with arthritis and MSK conditions whose needs must be recognised. 

Versus Arthritis highlighted gout throughout their response, as gout is more common in men, with 66,000 people newly diagnosed with gout each year.…

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