MSK & Arthritis News

Musculoskeletal health hub pilot expanding

Musculoskeletal health hub pilot expands to 100 sites as MSK cost to UK hits £5bn a year

The second phase of the UK’s MSK health hub pilot will see the service rolled out to an additional 85 swimming pools and leisure centres from February 2023.

The scheme – a collaboration between UK Active, Good Boost, Orthopaedic Research UK, Escape Pain and Arthritis Action – launched last year across 15 sites to support individuals suffering from musculoskeletal health problems. As well as a presence in physical locations, it also provides users with access to a tablet and app for customised guidance and at-home support.…

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Good Boost for Health in Wales

Newport Live has become the first leisure provider in Wales to deliver the Good Boost programme to help people with musculoskeletal conditions be more active and sociable.

The programme follows funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as part of the Healthy Ageing Challenge. Newport Live is taking a leading role in a two-year research project examining how leisure centres & facilities may be transformed into musculoskeletal (MSK) hubs within the community.

The charitable trust will be the leisure provider in charge of delivering sessions that seek to improve people’s lives by getting them moving with gentle water and land-based exercise in a fun and social environment.…

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Versus Arthritis Physical Activity Conversations Survey

Versus ArthritisLondon Met UniVersus Arthritis is working with London Metropolitan University to understand more about the conversations healthcare professionals have with their patients around physical activity, their confidence and knowledge in this subject, and how frequently they discuss the benefits of being active in their appointments. If you are a healthcare professional, could you please spare just five minutes to complete a short survey to share your experiences.

The findings will be really valuable to Versus Arthritis, helping to tailor support and information for healthcare professionals where it’s needed.…

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BSPRM-BASCIS Annual Scientific Conference

BSPRM-BASCIS joint conferenceThe 2023 edition of the BSPRM (British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine) annual scientific meeting will run jointly with the annual BASCIS (British Association of Spinal Cord Injury Specialists) and Guttmann meeting. This brings together all the key professionals in different streams of specialist rehabilitation, including spinal cord injury rehabilitation, neurorehabilitation, amputee rehabilitation, trauma rehabilitation and musculoskeletal rehabilitation.

The meeting will take place 3-5 July 2023 at The Octagon Sheffield, a multi-purpose conference centre in the heart of the University of Sheffield campus.…

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Osteopathy Convention 2023 – Register your interest

Plans are well underway for the Convention 2023. This is an international collaborative event with the University College of Osteopathy, the Osteopathic International Alliance, the National Council for Osteopathic Research, the European Federation & Forum for Osteopathy, the General Osteopathic Council and the Institute of Osteopathy.

An international celebration of the
recognition of Osteopathy

20 – 21 October 2023
London, United Kingdom

Delivering and developing excellence in osteopathic healthcare

The Convention will be held under the theme ‘Delivering and developing excellence in osteopathic healthcare’, at the Radisson RED™ London Heathrow Hotel, with workshops and presentations covering education, clinical practice and research.…

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ARMA to launch MSK equalities project

ARMA logoOver 20 million people in the UK experience musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions such as chronic musculoskeletal pain, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. But these do not affect the population equally. Women, older people, those living in deprivation, and some ethnic groups are disproportionately affected in terms of prevalence and impact. In addition, those with MSK conditions experience inequalities when it comes to accessing services and in outcomes.

Our ambition is to reduce these health equalities and ensure everyone can access the highest quality health and care, regardless of their background or where they live.…

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ARMA’s webinar for social prescribing link workers

A well-attended webinar on MSK health for social prescribing services and link workers took place in late January 2023. Understanding musculoskeletal health for social prescribing proved popular with attendees, and feedback has been very positive, with participants saying: ‘Absolutely brilliant webinar!’ and ‘The best that I have ever attended.’

If you want to check it out, or share with colleagues, you can find a recording of the webinar here. It was designed to complement our guide for link workers and social prescribing services.…

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Opportunity to be involved in MSK impact research

Research project: The Psychological, Social, and Economic Impact of Musculoskeletal Conditions

Researchers in the Department of Behavioural Science and Health at University College London are looking to set up an advisory group of people with lived experience of musculoskeletal conditions, for a project exploring the challenges facing people with these conditions, such as family, ability to work, and quality of life. The advisory group will help the research team refine research questions and interpret findings. The commitment involves attending 5-6 online meetings (1-2 hours each) over the course of the two-year project, with a small amount of reading and preparation for each meeting.…

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Improving Health and Increasing Activity Conference 2023

The Why Sports 2023 Improving Health and Increasing Activity Conference is taking place on 1st June, 2023 at The Royal Society of Medicine in London.

This is an opportunity to understand the Government’s commitments to shape and redesign our communities and systems to promote healthier lifestyles for all. A chance to network, share knowledge, awareness and debate the facts. 

You can find out more about the event here.

Readers of this newsletter have been offered discounted entry, so be sure to use the code ARMA50 when booking.

Major conditions strategy: parity for MSK?

by Sue Brown, CEO ARMA

Last month the Government announced a new major conditions strategy. In the past ARMA’s response to such an announcement would be “what about MSK? That’s a major condition contributing hugely to the burden of disease in England.” Not this time.

I will admit to being surprised to read the list of six conditions included and find musculoskeletal disorders was one of them. Pleasantly surprised. Finally, in this one document at least, MSK seems to have parity with other conditions.…

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