MSK & Arthritis News

NASS needs to hear from you

NASS is excited to launch a call for evidence as part of their efforts to establish a Gold Standard in Treatment and Care for Axial Spondyloarthritis as part of the Aspiring to Excellence programme.

NASS is looking for people with lived experience of axial SpA, and healthcare professionals to share with us their real-life examples of good treatment and care.

For people with lived experience, an example might be a course or education session you attended, a new way of being able to communicate with your healthcare team which improved your experience, or a routine that you were able to develop with your healthcare team to help with a specific part of living with axial SpA.…

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Webinar: Dietary Management of Gout

Arthritis ActionArthritis Action is pleased to launch their new season of webinars with ‘Dietary Management of Gout: Science or Fiction?’ It was recorded in February and will soon be available on the Arthritis Action  webinars page and YouTube channel.

During the webinar, the guest speaker and gout expert Dr Lorraine Watson discusses what gout is and guides us through the current evidence on nutrition and gout. Lorraine is joined by Martin Lau, Arthritis Action Services Manager & Dietitian and Member Services Manager Terry Urbanczyk, hosting the event.

Arthritis & Me – Self Management Event

online patient eventWednesday 6th March 2024

Arthritis Action is running its first self-management event specifically targeted at the needs and lives of people aged 18-40. The online event will address topics such as: pain management, healthy eating & weight management, staying active, hobbies and social life, emotional wellbeing and pacing and distraction techniques.

Tickets are free and anyone interested in attending can contact events@arthritisaction.org.uk, or send a message via WhatsApp: 07702 813737, or book direct from Eventbrite.

Webinar: MSK waiting list self-management support

“How to implement self-management support for MSK patients on waiting lists”


Join a live webinar with getUBetter as they share their insights on how to implement digital self-management support for musculoskeletal (MSK) patients on waiting lists.

12% of the UK adult population is on a waiting list, with 10,000 waiting for a T&O operation across an Integrated Care System (ICS). The length of waiting lists, persistent pain, and deconditioning are all a problem. There’s an absolute need to provide evidence-based locally configured peri-operative self-management support and safety netting for patients on waiting lists, wherever they are waiting in the system.…

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Save our data

ARMA CEOby Sue Brown, CEO ARMA

As the final draft of our report into the MSK health inequalities inquiry comes together, a few things have made me think about the importance of data.

First the good news. NHS England has published a statement on information on health inequalities. The Statement includes which information on health inequalities should be collected, analysed and published by NHS bodies in England. Sadly, it does not link to the conditions in the Major Conditions Strategy, so MSK is included only in the overall figures for elective care.…

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Information on Health Inequalities – NHSE

NHS England’s Statement on Information on Health Inequalities (duty under section 13SA of the National Health Service Act 2006) was published in November 2023.

Integrated care boards, trusts and foundation trusts should use this statement to identify key information on health inequalities and set out how they have responded to it in annual reports. The document sets out a range of indications which should be published by relevant NHS bodies in England.

The list does not include any MSK-specific measures, although elective care is included, of which MSK makes up a significant portion.…

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Aquatics and swimming programme for all health and social care staff

The Aquatic Activity and Swimming for Health e-learning programme is now available for everyone within health and social care settings.

Previously only available for colleagues with an NHS email address, the programme can now be accessed by all.

The resource, developed in partnership with Swim England, Aquatic Therapy Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (ATACP) and the University of Nottingham, raises awareness of the benefits of aquatic activity on health and wellbeing and will enhance learners’ confidence in identifying patients who would benefit most.…

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Environmental sustainability in orthopaedics

New white paper on environmental sustainability in orthopaedic surgery & MSK Health

Orthopaedic Research and The British Orthopaedic Trainees Association (BOTA) have co-authored a white paper on environmental sustainability in orthopaedic surgery and MSK Health.

As one of the largest areas of expenditure for the NHS, including 25% of the UK’s surgical workload, musculoskeletal (MSK) health has to be at the forefront of efforts to achieve a net zero NHS. The white paper summarises initiatives across healthcare, and specifically within MSK health to reduce its overall carbon footprint and provides case studies on practical ways in which clinical teams are embracing more environmentally sustainable practices, whilst maintaining standards of care.…

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Managing children’s chronic non-cancer pain better

Health researchers at the University of Stirling are calling for an overhaul of services for children living with chronic pain.

A new study, led by Dr Emma France and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, found children are often left without effective pain management and struggle to access support from health services.

The research, which was carried out over a three-year period, is the first to specifically look at all the research about how children living with chronic pain and their families are experiencing pain and pain management.…

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Karen Middleton: the past and future of MSK Physiotherapy

The Society of Musculoskeletal Medicine (SOMM) has been very fortunate to have Karen Middleton, recently retired as CEO of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, as its President for many years and we thank her for her valuable contribution to SOMM and wish her well as she retires from that role as well.

Professor Karen Middleton CBE was the CSP’s first woman chief executive, and also the first to be a member of the physiotherapy profession.

She was made a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) for advancing the physiotherapy profession, developing leadership capacity and promoting professionalism, through her role as Chief Allied Health Profession Officer at NHS England, before joining the CSP as Chief Executive in February 2014.…

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