Category: Treatments & Therapies

RA disease not treated with advanced therapies

RA disease impact in patients not treated with advanced therapies; survey findings from the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society

by NRAS

Recently NICE published a Final Appraisal Document in respect of a new JAK inhibitor (filgotinib –  Jyseleca) giving access to people with RA who have so called ‘moderate’ disease in addition to those with ‘severe’ disease. This is the first time NICE have broadened their eligibility criteria for access to advanced therapies and is warmly welcomed by NRAS. This comes at the same time as a paper published by the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (P.…

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COVID-19 vaccination and MSK

ARMA BSR BOA RAIRDA

Principles for COVID-19 Vaccination in Musculoskeletal and Rheumatology for Clinicians

(Version 12, 12 September 2022)

Amendment 12th September 2022: Document updated to include latest JCVI and NHSE guidance regarding autumn boosters using second generation bivalent COVID-19 vaccines and results of VROOM study (see section 23 and section 24 respectively)

Amendment 3rd April 2022: Document updated to include latest JCVI and NHSE guidance regarding spring 2022 boosters (see section 22)

Amendment 3rd December 2021: Document updated to include latest JCVI guidance regarding boosters for patients who were eligible for a third primary dose (see end of section 21)

Amendment 13 October 2021: Document updated to include revised BSR wording about third primary dose (section 20).…

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Making Moves with Didy Veldman, leading International Choreographer

Recently, NRAS members who signed up took part in a dance and movement programme for people living with RA with leading International Choreographer, Didy Feldman, over Zoom, with Didy leading from the Royal Ballet School.

Dutch-born Didy Veldman trained as a ballet and contemporary dancer in Amsterdam. She danced professionally for fourteen years and began choreographing in 1987. She has created new works nationally and internationally for Birmingham Royal Ballet, Rambert Dance Company, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal, the Royal New Zealand Ballet and the Royal Ballet School in London, to name but a few.…

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Seasonal Insertional Heel Pain – a matter of overuse

by Andrew Coutts. BSc Hons, MSc, FCPodS, Specialist Registrar in Podiatric Surgery, Derbyshire Community Health Service NHS Foundation Trust

One of the most common questions I get asked by patients, colleagues and friends is – ‘how do I get rid of my heel pain?’ I see many patients with plantar fasciitis symptoms, insertional Achilles tendonosis and other causes of heel pain, such as retrocalcaneal bursitis, tarsal tunnel syndrome, fat pad atrophy and Sever’s Disease, however every year I see an increase in referrals specifically around February, March and April time [1].…

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SOMM’s courses for portfolio route supervisors

Great news that the HEE Roadmap to Practice for First Contact Practitioners and Advanced Practitioners in Primary Care (Musculoskeletal) was published on 15 October! The Roadmap is available through the HEE website and provides a clear educational pathway from undergraduate to advanced practice for clinicians wishing to pursue a career in MSK primary care.

SOMM is delighted to be one of the organisations running courses to train supervisors to take clinicians through the portfolio route described in the Roadmap.

Supervisors need to be:

  • Working in MSK as an Advanced Practitioner with a postgraduate Master’s degree;
  • In a current team lead post in MSK and hold a postgraduate Master’s degree in MSK; or
  • Working as a Consultant Physiotherapist working in MSK

The courses will be able to take a maximum of 14 places and are open to a maximum of 2 supervisors per Trust/CCG.…

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Let’s Move with Leon

Versus Arthritis has launched a new free physical activity programme, Let’s Move with Leon, designed and presented by exercise expert Leon Wormley who specialises in working with people with arthritis and related conditions. The programme consists of weekly 30-minute movement sessions delivered right to a subscriber’s email inbox. Leon’s classes are a holistic, full-body programme and – they’re great fun!

Anyone can sign up to Let’s Move with Leon here.

For people who are not yet ready to commit to a weekly exercise, we also launched the Let’s Move programme.…

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NICE guideline: Low Back pain and sciatica

NICE has published the final guidelines on Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s: assessment and management. Supporting evidence, tools and resources as well as all the stakeholder comments are available. NICE said the comments were invaluable in refining the guidelines. NICE produced an equality impact assessment too.

NICE included the recommendations of this guidelines in the NICE Pathway on Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s: assessment and management. There is an interactive flowchart which brings everything together from the guideline.…

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‘Unlocking Exercise’ webinar and live Q&A

Arthritis Action will hold their latest webinar “Unlocking Exercise Webinar: Barriers and Benefits – Eating Well, Thinking Positively, and Getting Stronger” on Wednesday 30th September, 11:00am – 12:00pm.

The webinar will explore a holistic approach to restarting exercise and preventing the loss of strength and function, for people living with arthritis. The charity’s expert panel will cover the barriers and benefits to exercise, including; immunity, independence, community engagement and mental wellbeing.

There will also be a live Q&A on the topic at the end of the webinar.…

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