MSK & Arthritis News

Guest Blog: Active Hospitals – OUH SEM Pilot

The Oxford University Hospitals Foundation Trust Pilot

By Dr Christopher Speers, Sport and Exercise Medicine Consultant Oxford University Hospitals Foundation Trust

Physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide1 and it contributes significantly to the worldwide burden of non-communicable disease2, 3. Hospitals, historically, have been dominated by a culture of rest4. Promoting rest contradicts the evidence which clearly demonstrates that disease outcomes are better for moving more and that post hospital syndrome, or hospital deconditioning, leads to increased risk and adverse outcomes5, 6.…

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Webinar: musculoskeletal foot and ankle pain

Register for a new webinar

The next ARMA webinar is on ‘Addressing the burden of rheumatic and musculoskeletal foot and ankle pain.’

You can sign-up for free to this NHS England and ARMA webinar, to watch live or get a link to replay the recording when it suits your schedule.

Although foot and ankle pain affects an estimated 20% of the general population and this figure rises to around 90% in people with rheumatoid arthritis, they are frequently trivialised and overlooked.…

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Save Our Pools – Guest Blog

By Jill Hamilton, Professional Engagement Manager, National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society

Exercise is the single most important thing that anyone with axial SpA (AS) can do to self-manage their condition. It’s not always possible though; if someone is experiencing a flare or has severe physical disability as a result of their condition then exercising on land can be pretty much impossible. Exercising in water however is a lot easier; the warmth and the buoyancy make stretches more effective, it’s less painful, it’s easier to stay upright because the effect of gravity is less, it requires less physical effort and afterwards you usually have a really good night’s sleep!…

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A stronger voice for MSK

CEO update by Sue Brown

March has been a very impactful month for ARMA. My highlight was probably the ARMA roundtable on mental health. The statistics about incidence of mental health amongst people with musculoskeletal conditions don’t surprise me. It’s obvious why long-term pain and difficulty moving would go along with high levels of depression and anxiety. What surprises me is how little support people get with their mental well-being and that’s something ARMA is determined to change.

ARMA members will be discussing what they want to do next on mental health at this week’s members meeting.…

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Evidence into Practice Challenge 2019

Evidence into Practice – Finding the next big idea

Do you have an evidence-based idea to change clinical practice? Apply to the Evidence into Practice Challenge, a call to healthcare professionals and researchers in the West of England.

Evidence-based ideas are sought for initiatives or projects to improve healthcare. The West of England AHSN will work closely with chosen applicants and recompense time for activity that supports the adoption and spread of the initiative.

Karen Luyt, a neonatologist at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, responded to the first call five years ago.…

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Autoimmune Diseases Training Day

King’s Health Partners Inter-Disciplinary Autoimmune Diseases Training Day
13 April 2019
Presented by Dr. James Galloway, Christian Pankhurst, Matthew Collison & Rebecca Roopnarine.

This free study day is open to all medical, nursing and AHP staff involved in managing patients with autoimmune conditions and will focus on the identification and management of musculoskeletal complications.

For more details and the programme for the day, please visit the event page.

Keywing – Design Council Spark Award winner

New product the Keywing is opening the door for millions to use keys with ease, while restoring independence.

Winner of the Design Council Spark Award and a £65,000 investment from charity Versus Arthritis, the Keywing is being released on the 27 March 2019, helping millions with reduced dexterity to open doors and regain independence.

Retailing from £4.99, the Keywing is a simple, innovative and thoughtfully designed product that clips onto keys. Once in place, it creates a larger surface area and longer lever, making keys easier to hold, grasp and turn, and locks much easier to open.…

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Ration Watch – Surgery

ARMA has been working with the Medical Technology Group (MTG) to raise concerns about increasing rationing of joint replacement surgery.

The MTG is a coalition of patient groups, research charities and medical device manufacturers working to improve access to cost effective medical technologies for everyone who needs them. MTG has concerns about treatment rationing in general and have launched the Ration Watch campaign to highlight care inequality and the impact it has on patients’ lives.

Ration Watch aims to expose the scale of rationing and the issues around local commissioning across the UK.…

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ARMA Mental Health Roundtable

roundtable-documentIn March, ARMA held a roundtable on mental health. We brought together people from the mental and MSK health sectors, both voluntary and statutory to hear presentations from Arthritis Action, NHS England’s Head of Mental Health, a patient perspective and the Haringey IAPT service.

Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) is designed to support people with depression and anxiety but has recently been rolled out to include long term conditions. In Haringey this includes MSK pain. People are offered a range of different psychological support such as individual Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), guided self help, groups, computerised CBT.…

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Closing the workforce gap

The Health Foundation, Kings Fund and Nuffield Trust recently published a report Closing the Gap: key areas for action on the health and care workforce. The report looked at two areas – nursing and general practice, both very relevant to MSK health care. At the moment the future looks bleak, with 41,000 nursing vacancies in the NHS and another 5,000 in social care. There are 2,500 fewer GPs than are needed. The report, however, is optimistic that these shortfalls can be addressed, provided policy changes are made.…

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