WHAT’S YOUR ISSUE?

Almost 19 million people in Britain have a musculoskeletal condition including arthritis, says charity Versus Arthritis, the main campaigner for people with the condition in the UK.

Arthritis can affect any age, but it’s most often associated with midlife and older people. There’s no cure but treatments have improved greatly, and particularly with inflammatory arthritis, there’s a clear benefit in starting treatment early.

Arthritis is all about your joints, where different bones meet, which are normally separated by cartilage and lubricating fluid. Arthritis is the word used to describe the pain, swelling and stiffness in these joints. The most common types are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout. But there are other musculoskeletal problems that affect millions – back pain is a major issue.

Osteoarthritis has been linked to obesity and joint trauma. It’s also hereditary, so if your parents or grandparents have it, you’re more likely to develop it. But there are ways to help prevent it. A study from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons found weight loss may slow down the onset of osteoarthritis and obesity may trigger inflammatory changes that cause osteoarthritis.

MOVE MORE Surprisingly, exercise can have a positive effect. A study from Queen Mary University of London found exercise can help to prevent the damage to cartilage caused by osteoarthritis.

When we exercise, we compress the cartilage in our joints; our cells detect this, then stop inflammation. Other research found running reduces inflammation in knee joints and a 2007 study found most cardiovascular exercise keeps knee cartilage healthy, though Versus Arthritis says low impact is best.

You could swap a weekly 10k run for a 5k, and add in low-impact exercise like Pilates. The Arthritis Foundation recommends yoga as it builds strength and balance. However, Philip Conaghan, professor of musculoskeletal medicine at

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Leeds University, and spokesperson for Versus Arthritis, says joint pain is a wider problem than just arthritis. “Back pain is the most common.”

In fact, it is the largest cause of disability in the UK. But the NHS recommends staying active as a way to prevent it, and a review of medical literature in the JAMA Network of journals found exercise alone can help. “When you are younger, joint problems can be due to tendonitis – inflammation where the ends of muscles attach to bones. As you age, osteoarthritis chances rise, so you may have arthritis and tendonitis,” says Conaghan.

KILLING PAIN Conaghan points to two treatments: pharmacological ones like painkillers, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), opioids, steroid injections and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS). And non-pharmacological ones such as weight loss and exercise.

“Non-pharmacological treatments are probably the most effective therapy there is.”

Others swear by dietary help. Nutritionist Mays Al-ali (healthymays.com) says glucosamine, chondroitin, methylsulfonylmethane, turmeric and fish oil can all help.

Dr Gemma Newman (plantpowerdoctor. com) says osteoarthritis sufferers may like to try supplements with sigesbeckia, boswellia serrata, pycnogenol and curcumin.

But there is no silver bullet. Many benefit from a mix of diet, exercise and pain control. Alex Beechey is a musculoskeletal physio for Connect Health. “Arthritis is best managed like a jigsaw puzzle,” he says. “The body is complicated and differs from person to person. It may require lots of patience, and trial and error.”

■■This feature is taken from Healthy for Men magazine, from Holland & Barrett. See healthymagazine.co.uk/mirror for a subscription offer

OSTEOARTHRITIS

GOUT

‘‘

Swap a weekly 10k run for a 5k, and add in low-impact exercise too

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

SPONDYLOARTHRITIS

JUVENILE IDIOPATHIC

ARTHRITIS