Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis in adults, which is characterised by persistent pain, loss of mobility and reduced quality of life. In the UK alone, there are an estimated 5.4 million people living with knee OA and 3.2 million people with hip OA. As the population ages, coupled with rising obesity and sedentary lifestyles, it is estimated that the population living with OA will continue to significantly increase, and by 2035 there will be almost double the people living with 4 or more chronic conditions. The retirement age is also rising, increasing the working population with OA, increasing the economic burden through direct healthcare costs and indirectly through loss of productivity and absenteeism due to poor symptom control. The healthcare system is already strained in the aftermath of COVID-19, with more waiting longer to have procedures such as total knee replacement surgery, increasing complexity of the procedure itself, requiring more comprehensive care in the primary care sector. Therefore, there is a growing need for early intervention, joint preservation options and prevention, to mitigate the impact to individuals, communities and wider economy from the disease burden of OA.

References:

Steinmetz, J.D., Culbreth, G.T., Haile, L.M., Rafferty, Q., Lo, J., Fukutaki, K., Cruz, J.A., Smith, A.E., Stein Emil Vollset, Brooks, P., Cross, M., Woolf, A.D., Hagins, H., Mohsen Abbasi-Kangevari, Abedi, A., Ackerman, I.N., Amu, H., Antony, B., Jalal Arabloo and Aravkin, A.Y. (2023). Global, regional, and national burden of osteoarthritis, 1990–2020 and projections to 2050: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. The Lancet Rheumatology, 5(9), pp.e508–e522. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/s2665-9913(23)00163-7

Versus Arthritis. THE STATE of MUSCULOSKELETAL HEALTH 2023. 2023.

ONS (2023). Sickness Absence in the UK Labour Market – Office for National Statistics. [online] www.ons.gov.uk. Available at:https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/labourproductivity/articles/sicknessabsenceinthelabourmarket/2022.

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Musculoskeletal Health: A 5 year strategic framework for prevention across the lifecourse Department of Health and Social care working with Public Health England and Department for Work and Pensions. (n.d.). Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5d0b44eded915d0939f84803/Musculoskeletal_Health_5_year_strategy.pdf