MSK & Arthritis News

Guest blog: Dancing on the Rusty Brown Carpet

by Victoria Wells, a personal reflection about a new play with a theme of dancing for health – how a work of theatrical art relates to my experience of joint replacement surgery, pre-operative rehab, post-op rehabilitation and a lifetime of dancing.

On 3 October 2020, a play by Fiona Hamilton will be screened for the first time.
My experience contributed to one of its main characters.

As a child I enjoyed dancing and getting lost in the rhythm. I was born with hip dysplasia that was not diagnosed until mid-childhood and, as a result, I walked with constant pain.…

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Pain in the …Big toe

by Anthony Maher. BSc Hons, MSc, FCPodS, Clinical Lead Consultant Podiatric Surgeon, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

A lot of the time we pay little attention to our feet, that is until something goes wrong. Most of us, luckily, will only occasionally experience foot pain sometime in our life, but for some that pain can be significant, causing pain when walking, limiting choice of footwear and even reducing activity or increasing the risk of falls.

The big toe joint or 1st metatarso-phalangeal joint is one of the most common areas of the foot to become painful (Gilheany, Landorf, & Robinson, 2008; Maher & Kilmartin, 2011).…

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ESCAPE-pain: using education and exercise to support people with chronic joint pain

Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare (HEE e-LfH) has worked with ESCAPE-pain and the Health Innovation Network to develop two e-learning resources, aimed at helping healthcare professionals and exercise instructors understand the principles behind the ESCAPE-pain programme – facilitating group education and exercise sessions for people living with chronic joint pain and learning how the programme may be implemented in their organisation.

What is the ESCAPE-pain programme?

ESCAPE-pain is an evidence-based and cost-effective group rehabilitation programme for people with chronic joint pain.…

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Lived experience, equality and prevention

Whatever anyone may claim, the NHS has been, and still is, completely overwhelmed by the impact of Covid-19. Across the board MSK services are struggling. Meeting the targets of 90% elective procedures and 100% of outpatient appointments by October is not easy. Lots of things will be required – efficient pathways, appropriate use of digital, increases in support for self-management. Three things I feel must be included are lived experience, a focus on equality and prevention.

I’ve been privileged to be part of the Lived Experience Group which informs all aspects of NHS England work on MSK services post-Covid.…

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The Doctor Will Zoom You Now

The Doctor Will Zoom You Now was a rapid, qualitative research study designed to understand the patient experience of remote and virtual consultations. The report makes recommendations for both patients and healthcare professionals for getting the most out of a remote healthcare experience.

Remote consultations and the use of technology offer some great opportunities to make significant improvements to general practice, hospital outpatient and community appointments, but making the most of this opportunity means understanding the patient experience. The project was led in partnership with Traverse, National Voices and Healthwatch England.…

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TWEETCHAT Power to the people – Coproducing MSK

TWEETCHAT Power to the people – Coproducing MSK

#MSKCoPro

21 Sept 2020 7-8pm

To enable lifelong MSK health within all communities, we must coproduce MSK services with people with relevant lived experience. MSK leads in NHSE/I are coproducing the National Musculoskeletal Strategy with an MSK Lived Experience Group (MSK LEG).

Join @WeAreARMA and the MSK LEG members for a TweetChat all things MSK in these COVID times.

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Power to the people: Coproducing the National Musculoskeletal Strategy

Power to the people: Coproducing the National Musculoskeletal Strategy

JOIN THE TWEETCHAT ‘Power to the people’ – Coproducing MSK 21 Sept 2020, 7-8pm #MSKCoPro

This guest blog was coproduced by :-
Mark Agathangelou, Lived Experience Group member;
Aimee Robson, Head of Personalised Care (Clinical, Workforce & Quality);
Andrew Bennett, National Clinical Director MSK conditions;
Cristina Serrao, Lived Experience Ambassador;
and Helen Lee, Experience of Care Professional Lead.

In this blog, Musculoskeletal (MSK) leads within NHS England and Improvement and people with lived experience consider why coproduction is the golden thread of achieving the highest quality care that is valued by all.

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Webinar – Women and Axial Spondyloarthritis: diagnosis and management

Friday 9 October 2020, 12.30 – 1.30pm

Men with Axial SpA are more likely than women to experience changes to the bones and fusion, and thus they can be picked up using x-ray. Women are more likely than men to experience inflammation rather than fusion, which is visible on MRI but not on x-ray.

  • What are the implications for diagnosis of axial SpA in a woman?
  • What do GPs and First Contact MSK practitioners need to consider?
  • How do responses to biologics differ?


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