Author: Garreth

CEO update – Working together

When people are scared they do one of two things – reach out for support and support others, or look after number one. We’ve seen lots of examples of both recently. ARMA members have chosen the first approach. They’ve been sharing information, working together to solve some common problems such as how to advise healthcare professionals working in private practice.

I take my hat off to our patient members organisations who have faced a huge increase in calls to helplines. As NHS services feel the pressure it is getting hard for them to provide their usual advice and people are turning to patient organisations for support.…

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Chronic (persistent) pain resources

Chronic (persistent or long-lasting or recurrent) pain significantly impacts individuals, their families and carers. For people with pain, the day-to-day concerns of living with and managing pain are of the highest importance, more so than the underlying condition. Here are some resources on pain available to people at home.

Pain toolkit There are some free video resources; there are also workshops now being delivered online. There may be a fee. http://www.paintoolkit.org/

Pain Physio Association See https://ppa.csp.org.uk/news/2020-03-24-pain-management-resources-during-covid-19-response

Exercise and self-management resources

With everyone now spending a lot more time at home, it could have a significantly negative impact on people’s physical activity levels. For people with musculoskeletal conditions, there are things that can be done to protect health and manage illness, to maintain good physical and mental health.

Provided people are well enough and following the latest government guidelines, exercise matters during this period and it’s more important than ever right now. It can help manage stress and anxiety too. Here are some specific resources, tailored for musculoskeletal health.…

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Covid-19 Health Profession organisations’ resources

We’ve received some specific online resources from our alliance members from health profession organisations, listed below.

British Orthopaedic Association: https://www.boa.ac.uk/ (select from the carousel)

Chartered society of Physiotherapy: https://www.csp.org.uk/news/coronavirus

CSP remote working resource: https://www.csp.org.uk/publications/covid-19-guide-rapid-implementation-remote-consultations

Institute of Osteopathy: https://www.iosteopathy.org/covid-19/

 

You can also check the websites of all our healthcare profession members here.

Covid-19 Information for children and young people

Children with a musculoskeletal condition and their parents are understandably concerned about coronavirus (covid-19) and their wellbeing. The following websites may be useful.

Scottish Paediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology Network (SPARN)
Information for parents and patients on children and young people and Coronavirus (Covid-19):
https://www.sparn.scot.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/20-03-24-COVID-patient-information-SPARN.pdf

Children’s Chronic Arthritis Association (Kids with Arthritis incorporating JIA Matters)
Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/CCAAorguk/

COVID-19 Information for people with MSK

[Editor’s note: this post was published in March 2020 and has not been updated since. For more up-to-date reading, please refer to this COVID-19 Information page, which has been updated as new data and resources have come to light.]

Many NHS staff who would normally answer calls from patients are redeployed to the fight against coronavirus (covid-19). Patient charities continue to experience high volumes of calls from concerned people with musculoskeletal conditions. Patient charities are responding with specific information and guidance, including virtual Q&A and risk calculators.…

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COVID-19 / Coronavirus info

Last updated 8/11/22

This page lists the most relevant information we can find on COVID-19 relevant to people with MSK conditions. We update this page as new information becomes available. It includes information for professionals, patients, parents and guidance for Wales and Scotland.

Six key resources for MSK.

Key resources

Latest advice for England.

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Good communication with patients whose planned care has been disrupted by COVID-19.

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/good-communication-with-patients/

Guidance on those eligible for free lateral flow testing in England after 1 April

Government announcement 

Covid-19 community based treatments

Access community-based treatments for coronavirus (COVID-19) updated 6 September 2022

How to access treatments and prescription charges

COVID-19 Therapeutics Clinical Review Panel will determine which at-risk patient cohorts could be eligible for COVID-19 therapies.…

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You are not alone; keep active, stay connected

Mr Jones is 72 today. A few years ago, he would have celebrated with friends in the pub, but now the pain in his back makes is hard to go out and he gets tired quickly. So, he’s at home watching TV while his wife cooks a meal. He spends a lot of time watching TV and his back seems to be getting worse, but his GP says there is nothing she can do for him but being more active will help.…

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Health Equity in England: The Marmot Review 10 Years On

We know that musculoskeletal conditions are much more prevalent in deprived areas so the publication of this report is very relevant to addressing the social determinants of MSK health. It has been produced by the Institute of Health Equity and commissioned by the Health Foundation to mark 10 years on from the landmark study Fair Society, Healthy Lives (The Marmot Review).

The report highlights that:

  • people can expect to spend more of their lives in poor health
  • improvements to life expectancy have stalled, and declined for the poorest 10% of women
  • the health gap has grown between wealthy and deprived areas
  • place matters – living in a deprived area of the North East is worse for your health than living in a similarly deprived area in London, to the extent that life expectancy is nearly five years less.
…

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