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Dr Rod Hughes sets out how pharmacists can play a pivotal role in steering people with joint pain towards a prevention programme… Joint health supplements are big business in the UK, with millions of pounds spent over the counter every year. People turn to these supplements for various reasons, but most are seeking relief from the symptoms of arthritis, a group of painful long-term conditions thought to affect around 10 million people in this country. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, affecting around eight million people in the UK. The condition is generally age-related, with joint pain and stiffness developing as the cartilage between the bones gradually wears away. OA changes and the inflammation involved causes difficulty moving and considerable pain. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) tends to affect younger people and is caused by the body's immune system attacking the joints. As a nation we tend to ignore our joints until they cause us problems, resulting in an increasing number of people taking long-term analgesics to control the pain or needing surgery to repair knees and hips. Treatment guidelines followed by doctors in the UK recommend that people with arthritis are advised to maintain a healthy weight and keep physically active, while strengthening their muscles and protecting any damaged joints during daily activities.

During the coronavirus pandemic many people found themselves working from home, and this has continued to some extent in many businesses. A change in working environment can bring challenges, one of which can be joint pain and discomfort. Imagine you have gone from a busy office environment, meeting in boardrooms and visiting the canteen for a coffee, to working at home on your dining room table, walking several feet to get a cup of tea and sitting back down again, this change in surroundings can have an impact on your joints. Community pharmacists can be a source of knowledge to help individuals that may be suffering from joint complaints, this may be from the above scenario or just general aches and pains that come from an office based role. Firstly, it's important for us to know the effects of sitting down at a desk all day (not a scenario I'm sure many community pharmacists experience daily): Back pain - is one of the most common complaints. This can be caused by bad posture while sitting too high, too low, or hunched over. While this may present as just a soreness or discomfort, if not rectified and/or accessed this can lead to some serious health issues such as spinal compression, sciatica or spinal stenosis.

Osteoarthritis starts up to have an effect on your joints before you find out any symptoms. By the time the basic symptoms of stiffness and pain happen, changes within the joints it could reach to out of stage.

Osteoarthritis is also called as degenerative arthritis because it removes breakdown of cartilage and bones. When cartilage is removed away the bones rub against each other and it causes pain and stiffness. This disorder occurs in people at the age of 50years and older. Osteoarthritis may also be hereditary and mostly occur in Knee part of the body.