Knee osteoarthritis can be treated with a combination of joint mobilisation and exercise
A new clinical trial has found that exercise, combined with mobilisation to realign the kneecap, can reduce knee osteoarthritis pain and improve the quality of life for people with arthritis. The study– which took place at the Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong, found that a combination of joint mobilisation andexercise significantly decreasedpain for people with kneeosteoarthritis. The mobilisation is relatively simple. Patients were instructed to lie on their side, with the knee supported and slightly flexed. This allowed the patella, or kneecap, to glide vertically from side to side. This mobilisation was perform...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - December 20, 2018 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news

Could MRI imaging detect early signs of heart disease in lupus sufferers?
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in the joints, skin and many other organs throughout the body. Modern treatments have improved the outlook for people with lupus, however there is currently no cure. It remains a variable and unpredictable condition and may even be life-threatening for people whose vital organs, like the heart, are affected. Careful monitoring of the condition is needed so that potentially serious complications can be recognised and treated promptly, and a team of researchers seems to have made a major leap forward in this area. The group from China's Shanghai Jiao Tong University...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - September 24, 2018 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news

Minister urges employers to make workplace adjustments for people with arthritis
  Minister urges employers to make workplace adjustments for people with arthritis The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Sarah Newton, has called on employers across the country to make workplace adjustments for people with arthritis and related conditions. According to the latest statistics, arthritis and related conditions such as back pain account for 30 million working days lost each year. The call to action came this week when the Minister visited Arthritis Research UK’s London office to understand more about the charity’s approach to promoting health and well-being in the workplace. The ...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - July 26, 2018 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news

Research explores link between mental health and rheumatoid arthritis
 A new study has gone further towards ensuring people living with both rheumatoid arthritis and mental health problems get the best treatment for them.Rheumatoid arthritis affects the whole body, but we know that it can also have an impact on a person’s mental health. Around a third of the 400,000 people in the UK with rheumatoid arthritis also experience mental health issues. This compares to around 1 in 4 people in the general population.The way rheumatoid arthritis is treated was revolutionised by the discovery of anti-TNF drugs– now widely used in medical practice. Better treatments have led to more pe...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - July 15, 2018 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news

MPs learn more about aids and adaptations
 On 11th July we hosted a Parliamentary event to discuss our new report‘Room to Manoeuvre’.The event was attended by the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Social Care Caroline Dinenage, Shadow Minister for Social Care and Mental Health Barbara Keeley, and Shadow Minister for Public Health Sharon Hodgson, alongside numerous MPs and stakeholders from across the country. Attendees had opportunities to discuss the importance of aids and adaptations for people with arthritis and found out how they can their support people in their local are to access these items.The report ba...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - July 12, 2018 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news

Report reveals people with arthritis are missing out on vital support in their homes
 People with arthritis are missing out on aids and adaptations they are entitled to from local authorities, putting their independence and safety at risk and placing an unnecessary financial burden on families, warns a new report from Arthritis Research UK. The charity, which champions the needs of the 17.8m people in the UK with arthritis and related conditions, says 8 in 10 people with arthritis (84%) eligible for support, are missing out on life-changing equipment. This could lead to a need for more intensive and expensive care, which is putting extra strain on the social care system.Aids and adaptations, such as g...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - June 28, 2018 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news

Men and women with rheumatoid arthritis 'may need different types of support'
AnArthritis Research UK-funded study has found that men and women living withrheumatoid arthritis may respond to different types of support to help them manage the everyday impact the condition has on their lives. The research underlines the fact that many men are struggling with rheumatoid arthritis, and suggests that some men may respond better to different support. A significant proportion of men struggle to manage their condition Researchers at the University of the West of England surveyed 295 English men about their experiences of living with rheumatoid arthritis, as well as 232 women. The study, led by Dr Caroline F...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - June 13, 2018 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news

Research funding to help people live well with arthritis and find a cure
 New funding from Arthritis Research UK promises to boost the search for an arthritis cure and improve the lives of people living with arthritis today.The charity is inviting researchers, whose projects aim to take society closer to a future free from arthritis, to apply for its‘Stacking the odds towards a cure’ funding. It is also seeking funding applications for research exploring innovations that could help people live better with arthritis today, under its‘Pushing frontiers in health research’ funding call.Arthritis Research UK will award grants of anywhere up to£1,500,000 to projects...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - May 30, 2018 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news

Government responds to inquiry on benefits assessment process
In April 2018 the Government responded to findings from the Work and Pensions select committee following an inquiry into the assessment process for two benefits: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).Sarah Newton, the Minister for Disabled People, began by thanking the almost 3,500 individuals who shared their personal experiences with the committee. Thank you to over 1,500 people with arthritis who provided the committee with evidence on how the benefits assessment process can affect people with arthritis.We’ve put together a short summary of how the Government answered key p...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - May 28, 2018 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news

Study finds no link between gout and risk of broken bones
People withgout are not generally at an increased risk of suffering a fracture, new research has shown. A study funded by NIHR and led by researchers based atArthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre at Keele University has shown that neither the disease itself nor its associated treatments are likely to increase a person's risk of broken bones. A large-scale study An increased risk of fractures is often associated with chronic inflammatory conditions. The new research aimed to clarify whether this is the case for people with gout - a form of inflammatory arthritis. The researchers followed more than 30,000 people with...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - May 21, 2018 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news

Voices from the social care system
On 10 May 2018 the Care and Support Alliance, of which we are members, released a powerful new report calledVoices from the social care system.The report is based on the results of the Big Social Care survey conducted earlier this year. Almost 4,000 people shared their experience, including over 1100 living with arthritis. Thanks to all of our supporters who shared their experiences in this survey.The survey revealed there has been very little improvement, and it seems in many areas things are getting worse:1 in 5 said they’d gone without meals due to lack of care and support.1 in 4 told us they had been unable to wo...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - May 9, 2018 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news

Arthritis Research UK joins forces with Medical Research Council to tackle childhood arthritis
This study will look at differences in genes, immune cells, blood proteins and other features that are seen in patients who respond well to treatments, and those who develop uveitis, a condition that causes eye inflammation and affects approximately 15% of children with arthritis.It is hoped the study will allow researchers to tailor personalised treatments and create a biomarkers test for childhood arthritis which would:Identify potential new treatmentsHelp doctors determine what the right treatment plan is for each patientIdentify which children are at risk of developing uveitisProject long-term outcomes for children wit...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - May 2, 2018 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news

Study shows historical differences in outcomes for people with arthritis
A new study has shed light on how outcomes for people diagnosed witharthritis since the turn of the century compare to those diagnosed in the 1990s. The study, published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, examines how disease activity, disability and mortality have changed over time for people with early inflammatory arthritis. Using data from the‘Norfolk Arthritis Register (NOAR)’, the researchers compared outcomes for 1,022 people recruited between 1990 and 1994, to outcomes for another 631 people recruited from 2000 to 2004. The team looked at factors such as swollen and tender joints and disability le...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - May 2, 2018 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news

New study to explore personalised care for people with shoulder pain
A collaboration is being launched by UK scientists to develop new clinical tools to offer personally-tailored interventions for people withshoulder pain. Led by Keele University with joint funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) andArthritis Research UK, the programme will be one of the largest ever research efforts that NIHR has jointly funded with a charity, and will help to ensure that people receive the treatments from which they are most likely to benefit. One in five adults in the UK experiences shoulder pain. Although around 1.5 million people visit their GP for shoulderpain each year, 40 per ...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - May 2, 2018 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news

Tackling the challenges of living with multiple health conditions
We know that many people with arthritis also live with other conditions– this is known as‘multimorbidity’. Living with many conditions can have a huge impact on individuals: there can be more medication and medical appointments to manage, or one condition could impact on a person’s ability to manage another. It also has a knock-on effect on health and care, for example a ten-minute consultation with a GP may not be enough time to discuss the impact of many conditions. We believe it is one of the largest and most complex challenges facing our health and care systems today.Our policy and campaigns tea...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - May 2, 2018 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news