Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance
Influencing policy and care together for best lifelong musculoskeletal health
On 7 November 2020, NASS will be hosting a new event for any affected by axial SpA (AS).
Physio in Focus will be run entirely by physiotherapists and in partnership with AStretch. Please do share this with your patients. We also welcome attendance from physiotherapists who would like to engage further with NASS and AStretch.
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.…
Read more of this article
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.…
Read more of this article
Responding to the pandemic with co-design to create digital solutions.
Good Boost is a social enterprise which transforms public swimming pools into therapeutic spaces for people living with MSK conditions. We create individually-tailored aquatic rehabilitation programmes using AI-powered software on waterproof tablets. We’ve been developing rehabilitation technology for the last 5 years since starting up as a community research project in Oxford, UK.
“We’re working to make sure we continue supporting people living with MSK conditions while minimising risk of transmission” Ben Wilkins, CEO.…
Read more of this article
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.…
Read more of this article
The 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.…
Read more of this article
Moving Medicine, an FSEM (UK) initiative, has published a series of resources designed to help those who are recovering from COVID-19.
The COVID 19 infection frequently leaves people feeling tired, weak, short of breath performing simple tasks, lacking in motivation, anxious or even feeling depressed. These symptoms can go on for a lot longer than expected and it can feel like you’ll never get back to normal.
To assist those recovering, Moving Medicine has produced resources that help people take control and start building their body back to normal.…
Read more of this article
Versus Arthritis is campaigning to ensure that everyone who needs a joint replacement gets timely access to treatment. Hundreds of thousands of joint replacement operations take place each year. More than 90% of people who have hip and knee replacements have osteoarthritis.
At the end of February, Versus Arthritis released figures revealing that, in one year alone, almost 30,000 people with arthritis in England waited more than the guaranteed 18-weeks to start treatment. This has
been featured in the Telegraph, with more coverage to follow.…
Read more of this article
Accessing Advanced Therapies (biologics, biosimilars, oral JAK inhibitors)
For some time, NRAS has been concerned that some Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) have been artificially restricting access to advanced therapies (biologics, biosimilars/JAK inhibitors) and undertook a Freedom of Information request to all CCGs about this. Following discussions with NHS England on behalf of RA patients about this practice, which was felt to be unethical, NRAS is delighted to share with you news of the attached recently published statement from the NHS Regional Medicines Optimisation Committee.…
Read more of this article
In January 2020, NICE published an update on the Quality Standard for rheumatoid arthritis in over 16s (QS33). This quality standard covers assessing, diagnosing and managing rheumatoid arthritis in over 16s. It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement.
NICE thanked organisations that submitted comments during the consultation period. All consultation comments were considered by the advisory committee (QSAC) and are documented in the minutes of this meeting.
Also available on the website is a summary of the consultation comments prepared by the NICE quality standards team and the full set of consultation comments.…
Read more of this article
