Arthritis News & Musculoskeletal News from ARMA's Members

Are you an axial SpA Changemaker?

As part of the Act on Axial SpA campaign, NASS has a created a brand new award to recognise the great work that health care professionals are doing to reduce the time to diagnosis.

Our aim is to encourage as many health care professionals to join us by undertaking a series of actions to ensure that every person with axial SpA is diagnosed within a year of symptom onset. These awards are open to any health care professional working with people with axial SpA, in the NHS or in private practice. …

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BASRaT launches neurological rehabilitation module

Enhancing knowledge to aid a wider variety of patient populations

BASRaT has launched a neurological rehabilitation module to enable BASRaT registered Sport Rehabilitators to safely use their high-level exercise rehabilitation knowledge and skills with a wider variety of patient populations and to work more effectively as part of the overall healthcare team.

Developed by specialist Physiotherapists and medical experts, this module is delivered online via an education portal for BASRaT registrants and has been added to the core curriculum for Sport Rehab students.…

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Government’s sports strategy highlights role of MSK Hubs

The government has announced ambitious plans to get an additional 3.5 million people physically active by 2030. The announcement was accompanied by the publication of a report, Get Active: A strategy for the future of sport and physical activity, which featured MSK Hubs as a case study of how sport and physical activity can help people ‘live healthier, longer and happier lives’.

The MSK Hubs programme recently secured £1.4m of funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as part of the Healthy Ageing Challenge to investigate how to transform leisure facilities into musculoskeletal (MSK) hubs which can be accessed in every community.…

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Empowering the next generation of MSK Innovators

Applications are now open for the MSK Innovation Accelerator programme, hosted by MedTech SuperConnector and part funded by Orthopaedic Research UK (ORUK).

The programme is designed to accelerate the development of musculoskeletal innovation and thereby create and scale early-stage MSK ventures across the UK. It will involve a 6 month intensive learning journey, providing participants with entrepreneurship training, masterclasses and access to expertise. The accelerator learning content is part-time.

The MSK Innovation Accelerator programme is open to MSK related Innovations at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 or above from research fellows, postdocs & late-stage PhD candidates, or innovators from Academic Research Centres, small to medium size enterprises with research laboratories, or clinical institutes with a medical technology in development in the lab or digital environment.…

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Walk Yourself Happy

Royal College of Podiatry MSK lead, Dr Helen Branthwaite has contributed a chapter on foot health and wellbeing for Julia Bradbury’s newest book on walking: ‘Walk Yourself Happy.’

Poor MSK health affecting the feet and the lower limb impacts around 30% of the UK population, and not being able to walk has a wider impact on wellbeing. This book covers all areas of wellbeing including, nutrition, sleep and mental health with foot care, footwear choice and foot strength playing a major role in walking yourself happy.

The BCA announces the Chiro Live 2023 programme

Following the tremendous success of last year’s conference, ‘The Homecoming’, the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) is back for another in-person event on 18 November 2023 – Chiro Live 2023.

The event is a chance for chiropractors, students, and the wider healthcare community to come together to discuss some of the most important issues facing the sector and celebrate the BCA’s Mission: to be the home of chiropractors that put patients first.

The one-day conference will be jam-packed with BCA fun, including its new, interactive, TED-style afternoon sessions, The Big Think.…

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Good Boost is re-defining national policy

Good Boost has been recognized in the UK Swimming Industry Report 2023, cited as an exemplar of “how pools can be harnessed to support the NHS.”

There is a UK and global sector shift from exercise and fitness to health & wellbeing, and Good Boost is leading the product and service to enable this sector-wide transition.

Good Boost – now five years old – was included as the first case study within the ‘Musculoskeletal hubs in the community’ section of the Government’s new Get Active sport and physical activity strategy released in August 2023.…

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ARMA Welcomes Major Conditions Strategy

Policy Paper

Major conditions strategy: case for change and our strategic framework

Updated 16 August 2023

It is great to see MSK included in the Government’s Major Conditions Strategy Case for Change and Strategic Framework. This is a major step forward in recognising the impact MSK has on people’s lives and wider society. MSK is biggest cause of years lived with disability in the UK, and it’s recognition as a major condition on par with cancer and mental health is a positive step forward.…

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MSK and the Major Conditions Strategy

by Sue Brown, CEO ARMA

Everyone working in or living with MSK conditions will have been delighted to read the interim report of the Major Conditions Strategy. MSK is recognised as a “major condition”. It has its own section alongside cancer, dementia, mental health and others. The same size, the same structure, the same status. It finally puts MSK where it belongs. Or should do.

There is so much to welcome in the document. The focus on prevention and personalisation. On treatments in the community and alignment of physical and mental health.…

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NOA webinar: GIRFT Elective Hub Accreditation

NOA webinar: ROH & SWLEOC’s GIRFT Elective Hub Accreditation Experience

This next NOA webinar (exclusively for NOA members) taking place Monday 4 September 2023 at 12pm will give an insight into achieving Elective Hub accreditation. Colleagues from NOA Member Trusts, The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre will share their lived experiences of the accreditation process including:

Preparation
The visit
Ongoing monitoring mechanisms.

There will be an opportunity for questions and networking. For further details and to register click here.