FSEM Supports ARMA’s Call for National Action on Musculoskeletal Health
The Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK (FSEM) welcomes the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance’s (ARMA) new report, MSK Health – The Foundation of a Thriving Nation, and supports its call for a coordinated, cross-government approach to improving musculoskeletal health.
With 21.3 million people in the UK living with a musculoskeletal condition, the impact extends across all stages of life. Pain and reduced mobility can affect participation in education, employment and community life, as well as people’s ability to remain active and independent. Improving MSK health must therefore be a shared priority across government and public services.
As an ARMA member, FSEM supports the report’s three central calls:
- A national, cross-government MSK strategy, with clear leadership and accountability.
- MSK health embedded across national policy and programmes, including health and social care, inequalities, education and skills, employment and economic growth.
- A national framework for local action, supporting earlier intervention and coordinated, person-centred care.
Sport and Exercise Medicine has an important contribution to make to this ambition. Prevention, timely assessment, rehabilitation and support to be physically active should be central to an approach that helps people maintain and regain function throughout their lives. This requires a skilled multidisciplinary workforce and accessible services that respond to people’s needs and circumstances.
Action must also address the inequalities that shape MSK health, including the barriers people face in accessing care and opportunities to be active. People living with MSK conditions should help shape the policies and services intended to support them.
FSEM encourages policymakers and health and care leaders to draw on ARMA’s report and recognise better MSK health as a foundation for participation, independence and prosperity.
The report and supporting materials can be found on the AMRA Website.