New video: How to self-examine for tender and swollen joints in rheumatoid arthritis

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the delivery of healthcare services, creating challenges for healthcare professionals and people living with musculoskeletal conditions. Patients are increasingly required to monitor their own disease activity and report on their condition during remote or virtual consultations.

To address this, the Centre for Epidemiology Versus Arthritis has been working on the REmote MOnitoring of Rheumatoid Arthritis (REMORA) study. REMORA is a smartphone app study that encourages people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to monitor and record their daily symptoms.…

Read more of this article

Health of people from ethnic minority groups

The King's Fund logoThe Kings Fund has produced an explainer on the health of people from ethnic minority groups in England. Whilst this doesn’t include MSK health, it does include several relevant determinants of health including physical activity levels, obesity, healthy diet, socioeconomic inequalities and access to services.

The document concludes that strategies for improving the health of England’s ethnic minority communities need to address the multiple factors that have an impact on their health. It identifies four areas for focus:

  • The role of public health and NHS services
  • Addressing the wider determinants of health
  • Tackling structural racism
  • Data

Read the explainer.

Upcoming NRAS JIA events

Join NRAS for their first JIA Zoom event: Coping with JIA during COVID-19.
This event is exclusively for parents who have children with JIA.
When: Wednesday 10th March, 6:30pm-8pm on Zoom.

There will be an update from Debbie Wilson, NRAS Young Persons Project Co-ordinator, an update from Nick Wilkinson, Paediatric Rheumatologist, and a short talk from one of our Young Voices.

Visit this link to sign up.

In April, loin NRAS for a Zoom event for young people living with JIA:
Navigating your Future with inflammatory arthritis

This event is exclusively for young people aged 16-30.…

Read more of this article

X-Factor star learns about axial SpA

Talia Dean meets Dasha and Gillian to learn more about axial SpA (AS)

Singer-songwriter, Talia Dean, made a big announcement in January 2021. In 2020 she was diagnosed with axial SpA (AS). Watch this video as she meets Dasha and Gillian, who live with the disease, and starts her journey towards becoming an #ASWarrior. #TaliasASJourney

See Talia’s story in the BBC article, 15 January 2021:
My back pain was misdiagnosed for 15 years – now I can’t dance

Welcoming a new member

We are delighted to welcome a new ARMA member, Physio First.

Physio First is a membership trade association of self-employed Chartered physiotherapists. Their organisational statement of intent: to “champion evidenced value based private physiotherapy with Physio First members in the changing healthcare marketplace.”

Read more about Physio Fast on our Membership page.

Proposed Health Index consultation

The Office for National Statistics is consulting on a new measure for health in England, recognising that the nation’s health is an asset – as important to the economy and wider society as it is to the individual. The proposed health index not only measures how healthy people are today but also looks at the wider social and economic circumstances that will influence our – and the next generation’s – ability to live healthy lives in the future. Tracking these indicators over time provides the opportunity to finally look beyond GDP as a sole measure of national success.…

Read more of this article

Royal College of GPs and EDS toolkit

by Ehlers-Danlos Support UK

We were very disappointed to be told just before Christmas that the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) wanted to withdraw the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) toolkit for GPs. The College planned to remove the toolkit from the RCGP website at the end of January. The RCGP cited pressure on its limited resources as a result of the pandemic and contention around the toolkit from various sources as reasons for its decision. While we understood that the College wanted to prioritise use of its resources, the move would have been a huge backwards step for people with EDS and related conditions.…

Read more of this article

NHFD Annual Report

The challenge of the next decade: are hip fracture services ready?

The National hip Fracture Database (NHFD) has recently released its latest annual report focussing on the six NHFD key performance indicators used to monitor and drive up standards across the country. 2020 will no doubt prove to be one of the most challenging years in the history of the NHS. This report also presents the first data about the effect of COVID-19 on trauma units around the country and on outcome for patients with hip fracture who have COVID-19 when admitted to hospital or develop it after their operation.…

Read more of this article

NICE to develop Interventional Procedures Guidance

NICE is developing Interventional Procedures Guidance: Supercapsular percutaneously assisted total hip arthroplasty for osteoarthritis IP1842.

Hip osteoarthritis can cause pain, stiffness and difficulty walking. Standard surgery to replace the joint (total hip arthroplasty) involves cutting tendons and muscles and pulling the hip joint apart to insert the new metal joint. In this procedure, a small cut is made in the skin (percutaneous). Muscles and tendons are moved apart to access the hip joint. A metal joint is inserted without fully pulling the hip joint apart (supercapsular).…

Read more of this article