Good MSK Health = Good Mental Health

Mental Health Awareness Week

This Mental Health Awareness Week we are reflecting on the physiological and psychological effects of musculoskeletal conditions.

Recent studies have shown that:

  • 1 in 4 of UK adults are living with long-term chronic pain (BBC News)
  • over 20 million people in the UK live with an MSK condition (Versus Arthritis)
  • individuals reporting any pain were more likely to report loneliness (Nicolson et al., 2021)
  • MSK conditions can also have a significant impact on mental health as living with a painful condition can lead to anxiety and depression (Gov.UK)

The disruption to our hospitals caused by the pandemic has worsened the situation, with waiting lists for orthopaedic surgery at record levels (British Orthopaedic Association). This challenge cannot be solved simply by increasing capacity but requires new approaches and new ideas for diagnosis and treatment, underpinned by authoritative research studies, to enable us to come up with far better and quicker diagnosis and treatment solutions for MSK patients who are in pain.

We strongly believe that data saves lives. When facing the greatest public health emergency that the UK has tackled for generations, one of the most impactful tools at our disposal is the power of data. With the facts, big data, and science and technology such as AI at our disposal, we must focus on providing meaningful and measurable results that people with musculoskeletal conditions deserve.

At Orthopaedic Research UK, we use our funding to encourage breakthrough research and education programmes in bone, joint and muscle wellbeing. A recent participant of ESCAPE-pain said ‘it has been beneficial to me to have been part of a small group of people who also have considerable issues with pain. Listening to members of the group and sharing our own pain issues with each other have been helpful in many ways. My mood and confidence have both improved noticeably since starting this class.’ You can read more about ESCAPE-Pain and other success stories here.

Find out more about our research here and our courses here.

Good MSK Health = Good Mental Health

#IveBeenThere #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek