This national report from Arthritis Research UK documents the scale and impact of musculoskeletal conditions, including back pain, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, on individuals and the wider UK healthcare system. It draws on national health and economic data to build a comprehensive picture of the burden these conditions place on society.
What was studied?
The report compiled UK-wide data on how musculoskeletal conditions affect disability, employment, NHS spending and personal wellbeing, covering the scale of persistent back pain specifically alongside other joint and bone conditions.
What did they find?
Musculoskeletal conditions account for 30.5% of all years lived with disability in the UK. Around 10 million people in England and Scotland live with persistent back pain, and NHS spending on these conditions reached 4.7 billion pounds a year. Depression is four times more common among sufferers.
Why it matters
This places back or neck pain within a much larger context: these conditions collectively represent one of the largest, most under-recognised health burdens in the country, affecting both body and mood.
Why we included it
It reflects a wider principle behind good pain care: treating persistent pain as a major health issue in its own right, addressing its emotional impact alongside the physical, rather than something to simply push through.
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What was studied?
The report compiled UK-wide data on how musculoskeletal conditions affect disability, employment, NHS spending and personal wellbeing, covering the scale of persistent back pain specifically alongside other joint and bone conditions.
What did they find?
Musculoskeletal conditions account for 30.5% of all years lived with disability in the UK. Around 10 million people in England and Scotland live with persistent back pain, and NHS spending on these conditions reached 4.7 billion pounds a year. Depression is four times more common among sufferers.
Why it matters
This places back or neck pain within a much larger context: these conditions collectively represent one of the largest, most under-recognised health burdens in the country, affecting both body and mood.
Why we included it
It reflects a wider principle behind good pain care: treating persistent pain as a major health issue in its own right, addressing its emotional impact alongside the physical, rather than something to simply push through.