Category: Arthritis News

ARMA’s new Associate Membership Scheme

ARMA has launched a new Associate Membership scheme to enable a wider range of stakeholders to engage with our activities.

It is important that our work is driven by the needs of patients, clinicians and researchers and is independent of commercial interests. However, we recognise that there are many stakeholders not eligible for ARMA membership who play an important role in musculoskeletal health, whose involvement would be mutually beneficial. Associate membership of ARMA provides a way for such organisations to engage with our work.…

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BOA Policy update – July 2020

report coverThe report emergent from Baroness Cumberlege and the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety review was published in early July and has been welcomed by the British Orthopaedic Association. This comprehensive review has demonstrated the impact on the physical and mental health of patients when implants fail. The review shows that there is a clear need for detailed surveillance of implants, and we welcome the recommendation for the establishment of more National Implant Registries.

Read the BOA’s full position on this issue.…

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What are the experiences of ethnic minorities with pain management?

invitation posterAn invitation to participate in research: We want to know your experiences of living with pain in London

Recent findings have shown that chronic pain affects up to 50% of the UK population [1]. Of this, Black adults have been found to have higher levels of “high-impact” pain in comparison to their White counterparts [2]. This disparity in the incidence of pain is also reflected in the contributory factors to pain. Researchers [1] have found many factors that are associated with the development of chronic pain including comorbidity, mental health and employment status – factors that are more prevalent in ethnic minorities [3] [4].…

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FSEM Membership Exam Part One going ahead

The Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine is pleased to confirm that this year’s FSEM Membership Examination in Sport and Exercise Medicine Part One will go ahead as scheduled on 9 September 2020. To minimise disruption caused by COVID 19, the closing date for those wishing to sit the examination has been extended to 31 July 2020.

The examination is administered by the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh, and places can be booked by visiting their website. It will be available at test centres in Edinburgh, Birmingham, Dublin and Kuala Lumpur.…

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Shielding update and factsheet

The government has announced a relaxation of the guidance to people in England who are clinically extremely vulnerable and therefore were advised to shield. (At the time of writing, guidance in the other nations had not changed). The chance of encountering coronavirus in the community has fallen: less than 1 in 1,700 are now estimated to have the virus, down from 1 in 500 four weeks ago. Whilst the relaxation is good news for many people who have gone months without leaving their houses, ARMA remains concerned that important protections are being lifted too soon.…

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Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) MSK standards and framework

Health Education England (HEE) in conjunction with the Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (MACP) has commissioned a piece of work to develop the operational aspect of the Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) MSK standards.

SOMM has been selected to be part of the MSK partnership task & finish group that will be focussing on developing mechanisms of governance and quality assurance of MSK practice as part of the accreditation route.

This piece of work will be completed in tandem with the production of an ACP MSK standards document to be used by multi professionals working towards ACP accreditation via HEE.

New guidance on corticosteroids

The guidance ‘Management of Patients with Musculoskeletal and Rheumatic Conditions on Corticosteroids’ has now been superseded by the following guidance, issued on 16 June 2020. It applies to:

Management of patients with musculoskeletal and rheumatic conditions who:

  • – are on corticosteroids
  • – require initiation of oral/IV corticosteroids
  • – require a corticosteroid injection

The new guidance can be read here [open PDF].

SOMM’s Injection Module Coordinator, Paul Hattam, has submitted his view on the guidance for corticosteroid injection that has been provided throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, as an open letter to the CSP’s ‘Frontline’ magazine.…

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Sport Rehabilitators supporting the NHS

Sport Rehabilitators and Covid-19 – working with patients and supporting the NHS

For an article on the Rehab Recruits scheme, BASRaT spoke to two sport rehabilitators to take a closer look at the fantastic work they are doing.

The NHS and MSKREFORM appealed for professionals who could temporarily work in an NHS role. The Rehab Recruits programme from MSKReform aimed to bring willing MSK clinicians together to help the NHS in its fight against Covid-19.

Sport Rehabilitators, Megan Thorley and Daniel Baker volunteered; read their stories here.

BOA – People waiting for orthopaedic surgery

A British Orthopaedic Association message to people waiting for joint replacement and other orthopaedic surgery

Growing waiting lists are affecting all planned surgery, but particularly orthopaedics which has the largest overall waiting list of any individual specialty. The BOA’s statement [published 26 June 2020] is a response to the concern, frustration and a lack of information available to people waiting for surgery. It explains how services can restart, gives advice on what to do, and provides resources to help people while they wait, as well as some FAQs.…

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