Government’s sports strategy highlights role of MSK Hubs

The government has announced ambitious plans to get an additional 3.5 million people physically active by 2030. The announcement was accompanied by the publication of a report, Get Active: A strategy for the future of sport and physical activity, which featured MSK Hubs as a case study of how sport and physical activity can help people ‘live healthier, longer and happier lives’.

The MSK Hubs programme recently secured £1.4m of funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as part of the Healthy Ageing Challenge to investigate how to transform leisure facilities into musculoskeletal (MSK) hubs which can be accessed in every community. This system-based approach is supported by Good Boost, UK Active, Orthopaedic Research UK (ORUK), ESCAPE-pain, and Arthritis Action.

According to Sport England figures, people are 20% less active than in the 1960s and 27% of all adults (rising to 48% of the least affluent adults) are classified as ‘inactive’[1].

Arash Angadji, CEO of ORUK says, ‘The inclusion of MSK Hubs in a sports and activity report is a welcome sign that sports and health policy is aligning behind a shared focus on the MSK health of the nation. Not only does this support the 20 million people in the UK who have a problem relating to an MSK condition, such as arthritis or chronic pain, but by encouraging greater levels of activity, irrespective of age, it will hopefully reduce the prevalence of preventable MSK conditions.’

[1] Sport England Active Lives Survey (20-21)