A shocking 90% of calls to Arthritis Care's helpline in the last 12 months have been cries for help over pain - so this year, the charity is marking its awareness week by urging doctors, nurses and allied health professionals to support people with arthritis in making a special challenge to pain and the constraints it imposes on their lives.
Pain is the chief reason people give for visiting their GP - and arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders are the commonest cause of that pain. That's why the charity has chosen 'Take control of pain' as the theme for this year's Arthritis Care Awareness Week, and is also calling for more investment in vital pain management services across the country.
Arthritis Care's chief executive Neil Betteridge said: "Most people with chronic pain have some form of arthritis, and when you are stuck with debilitating pain year in, year out, you may be unaware of new developments in treatment - some available on prescription, but many that don't require a doctor's signature. We want to remind people that something can always be done, and that if you can take control of your pain, you really can reclaim great tracts of your life.
Our message during this year's Arthritis Care Awareness Week is simple: nobody with arthritis should be struggling alone with pain. We want people to take a fresh look at how they are managing it. There's plenty of support out there. For example, people with arthritis can ask their pharmacist about any new drugs or products on the market, request a medication review, keep a pain diary, and speak to their GP about referral to a pain specialist, to physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, or to an ergonomist, or occupational therapist."
Arthritis Care believes that if pain were regarded as the 'fifth vital sign', it would be managed more holistically and effectively. Chronic pain has a major impact on people's lives, causing sleeplessness and depression and interfering with everyday activities. It can destroy physical mobility and mental concentration, and undermine all aspects of social, family and work life. People with chronic pain are seven times more likely to quit their jobs due to ill health than the general population. Overall, 25% of people with chronic pain eventually lose their jobs4.
"Drugs and surgery have an obvious place in pain management but GPs and nurses can also think about 'information prescriptions' - perhaps pointing people with arthritis to services like Arthritis Care's website, with its free, downloadable resources on living with arthritis, and its free-to-enter peer-support forums. They can also direct patients to the free professionally-staffed Helplines, or prescribe one of the free-to-user Arthritis Care courses like 'Challenging Pain' where patients learn pain-cheating techniques and develop a step-by-step plan to take control of their condition,"said Neil Betteridge.
65-year-old Muriel Weisz from Nottingham, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis two years ago - a month before retiring from her work as a social care manager. Muriel, who recently formed a self help group for people with arthritis, said: "I'm in some level of pain everyday and where it is in my body changes often. One of the worst things is waking up not knowing which part of you is going to hurt most that day - at the moment it's my feet and wrists. For example, there's sometimes a pain that's so paralyzing - I go to swing my legs out of bed in the morning and the pain is so intense that I have to stop and prepare myself for making any smaller movement to test out what going to be possible.
"Walking outside the house is just too painful. Sometimes I use a wheelchair to help me get around, but I'm just not very mobile - it's so strange to think that 6 months before I was diagnosed, I'd walked the Cumbrian Way!
"It's taking a lot to get used to not being able to do the things that I used to, but learning about my condition and how to deal with the pain means that I have some kind of control and that's crucial. I keep a pain diary so that when I see my doctor I can tell him exactly how many days of the month I've been in severe pain or too tired to get out of bed. I've also just started on a trial for a new medication and it's working wonders for me - the pain and inflammation has reduced considerably and my friends keep telling me how much better and less tired I look.
"When I was first diagnosed, reading Arthritis Care's magazine, which had information about rheumatoid arthritis, appropriate treatments and also the experiences of other people with arthritis, was incredibly helpful.
"My advice to anyone out there struggling with arthritis is : don't try to pretend to the outside world that the pain isn't there - make sure you're honest with your family and friends about the support you need. Have the confidence to say how you're experiencing the pain to your GP, so they know exactly what's going on. There might be a solution out there that could really help you, but you won't know if you stay silent."
Neil Betteridge added: "As well as encouraging people with arthritis to take control of their own pain we also call on all national governments in the UK to improve the services available to people with arthritis. In his recent report, Sir Liam Donaldson the Chief Medical Officer for England, concludedthat a major initiative to widen access to high-quality pain services was needed to improve the lives of millions of people in the UK3. We know that there are people with arthritis who struggle for years in pain before they get any kind of specialist support. Arthritis Care believes that pain services in the UK are under-funded and urgently in need of investment. We want to see GPs more committed to assessing and monitoring people's pain, a better network of specialist pain clinics, and more accessible services like physiotherapy and hydrotherapy to help people to reduce their pain levels."
Arthritis Care will mark the week by extending its Helplines service, offering a free 'Pain Pack', and running its free-to-user 'Challenging Pain' courses in venues around the UK. To order a free 'Pain Pack' or for information about arthritis go to arthritiscare.uk or call Arthritis Care's Helpline on 0808 800 4050.
Take control of arthritis pain - Ten Arthritis Care Tips
1. Lighten Up: Shed excess pounds to reduce stress on weight-bearing joints, like back, hips, and knees.
2. Be a Poser: Use good posture to protect your back and the joints of your legs and feet. Alter position often, take a break from the desk, and sit down to do some tasks instead of bending awkwardly.
3. Don't suffer in silence: Your GP needs to know that you are in pain, and what kind in order to find you an effective treatment or refer you to a pain management specialist.
4. Mix it up: Different pain can be eased by different drugs and treatments. Discuss with your doctor and pharmacist the best combination for your condition.
5. The Ex Factor: Exercise releases the body's own natural 'morphine' in the form of endorphins so appropriate exercise really can make you feel better.
6. Chuck out the chintz! Have a look at your furniture and decide if your bed and chairs are helping your pain or making it worse.
7. Listen to pain: Don't force already damaged, painful, or stiff joints into an activity that puts strain on them. But remember joints are supposed to move, so do not be afraid of persevering with gentle exercise recommended by your clinician.
8. Have an Exit Strategy: Plan how to leave before you arrive if you can't stand or walk for long. Plot your ways of lifting, carrying, pulling, pushing, or carrying objects before starting the action.
9. Big it up: Make your strongest joints and muscles work harder to cut stress on smaller joints - e.g. use a backpack instead of a briefcase or handbag, sparing fingers and wrist. Lift heavy objects in your arms instead of with your hands
10. Doctor Gadget: Look in Arthritis News and catalogues for self-help products - designed to make everyday tasks easier. Occupational therapists, physiotherapists, ergonomists and doctors can suggest helpful work or home devices.
Notes
1. Arthritis Care exists to support people with arthritis. We are the UK's largest organisation working with and for all people who have arthritis. We are a user led organisation which means people with arthritis are at the heart of our work - they form our membership, are involved in all of our activities and direct what we do.
2. Arthritis is the biggest single cause of physical disability in the United Kingdom, affecting people of all ages, including 12,000 children .Arthritis means inflammation of the joints. Most people with arthritis will experience pain and difficulty moving around. Over nine million people in the UK have arthritis. There are over 200 kinds of rheumatic diseases - the word rheumatic means aches and pains in joints, bones and muscles. Two of the most common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Arthritis is not just a disease of older people - it can affect people of all ages, including babies and children. It is not clear what causes arthritis and there is no cure at present. However, there is plenty you can do to manage your condition and lead a full and active life.
3. The Chief Medical Officer's Annual Report 2008
4. The Chief Medical Officer's Annual Report 2008
- 7.8 million people live with chronic pain
- ??3.8 billion cost of adolescent pain
- ??584 million spent on prescriptions for pain
- 49% of people with chronic pain experience depression
- 25% of people with chronic pain lose their jobs
- 16% of people feel their chronic pain is so bad that they sometimes want to die
Source
Arthritis Care
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