Pain is the most common reason that people attend their GP, affecting 1 in 4 people. In the UK, 28 million people or 43 per cent of the population live with chronic pain that has lasted for three months or longer. According to the British Pain Society Chronic, pain experienced by 14.3 per cent of the population is considered moderately or severely disabling. Pain prevalence in the over-75s could be as high as 62 per cent.1

Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are considered the leading cause of pain and disability in England.2 Data from 2013 indicates that the leading cause of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) was low back and neck pain.3 Globally, lower back pain has consistently been the condition ranked highest in terms of years lived with a disability (YLDs), and this is also the case in the UK.4

Public Health England also notes that MSK conditions “account for one of the highest causes of sickness absence and productivity loss.”2 Indeed, over half a million workers (507,000) were suffering from work-related musculoskeletal disorders (new or long-standing) in 2016-17, according to the Health and Safety Executive. This is around 41 per cent of all work-related illnesses, meaning 8.9 million working days lost due to work-related MSK conditions.5

Prevalence tools

In November 2017, PHE published an online tool bringing together MSK conditions data “to enable the commissioning of high value musculoskeletal services” tailored to local needs. The data layout is designed to help local government and health services:2

·       understand the health needs of their populations;

·       see how many people are accessing services in their areas;

·       find out the cost and outcomes of services.

Included in the first release was data relating to osteoporosis prevalence, rheumatoid arthritis, back pain, and the percentages of people living with a long-term back or joint problem (including knee and hip osteoarthritis). It also includes aspects such as the proportion of people who are overweight, exercise levels, smoking, and social deprivation levels.

Its first profile on MSK disease, based 2012 data for England, says that:2

·       around 16.9 per cent of people (9.1 million) suffered with back pain, but this ranged from 11.8 per cent to 21.4 per cent depending on local authority area;

·       18.2 per cent of people over 45 suffered with knee osteoarthritis (4.1 million);

·       10.9 per cent had hip osteoarthritis (2.4 million).

Arthritis Research UK has its own version of a MSK calculator, developed in collaboration with Imperial College London. The tool currently indicates prevalence and MSK burden across England and Scotland, at local health commissioning and local authority level.6

Arthritis is the generalised term for joint pain and joint disease, and is usually associated with joint stiffness. Depending on how conditions are classified, there are between 100 and 200 different types of arthritis, which Arthritis Research UK groups under five main types.7