Musculoskeletal conditions
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Follow the links below to find trusted information about musculoskeletal conditions.
Last reviewed: May 2018
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Tips for Carers of Arthritis & Musculoskeletal Condition Sufferers
There are services available to help make things easier for you & the person you're caring for. Find out where to find support & how MSK can help you
Read more on Musculoskeletal Australia website
Department of Health | Musculoskeletal conditions - arthritis and osteoporosis and back pain
Musculoskeletal conditions, of which arthritis and osteoporosis are most common, are one of the major causes of chronic pain and disability in Australia.
Read more on Department of Health website
Pain Conditions - painHEALTH
Clinically supported, in-depth information about a range of musculoskeletal pain conditions to help you better understand your musculoskeletal pain
Read more on painHEALTH website
Learn about Osteoarthritis, symptoms & treatment - MSK
What is osteoarthritis? Understand more about your musculoskeletal condition, where to find support & how MSK can help you
Read more on Musculoskeletal Australia website
Knee pain information | myVMC
Knee pain is a common musculoskeletal condition affecting the human body's largest joint. It can result from injuries to the knee or hip.
Read more on myVMC – Virtual Medical Centre website
Neck pain
Neck pain is a common musculoskeletal condition and in most cases settles down with simple management.
Read more on WA Health website
Diet, healthy eating and arthritis - MSK
"No special diet can cure musculoskeletal conditions like arthritis, but some conditions may be helped by making changes to your diet. Find out more
Read more on Musculoskeletal Australia website
Learn about Arthritis, symptoms & treatment - MSK
"What is arthritis? Understand more about your musculoskeletal condition, how you can manage, where to find support & how MOVE can help you
Read more on Musculoskeletal Australia website
Learn about juvenile arthritis, symptoms & more - MSK
What is juvenile arthritis? Understand more about your child's musculoskeletal condition, where to find support & how MSK can help you
Read more on Musculoskeletal Australia website
Learn about gout, symptoms & treatment - MSK
What is gout? Understand more about your musculoskeletal condition, how you can manage, where to find support & how MSK can help you.
Read more on Musculoskeletal Australia website
Top results
Professional interventions for general practitioners (GPs) on the management of musculoskeletal conditions | Cochrane
Professional interventions for general practitioners (GPs) on the management of musculoskeletal conditions
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Data sources for monitoring arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions (AIHW)
This report assesses the potential for existing data sources to improve our understanding of arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions and highlights future opportunities for improving data for monitoring these conditions. A 4-step process is used to assess the utility of different data sources to provide relevant information on the 6 priority information areas required for monitoring these conditions. This methodological approach may also be useful for monitoring a range of other health conditions.
Read more on AIHW – Australian Institute of Health and Welfare website
Arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions across the life stages (AIHW)
Arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions affect an estimated 6.1 million Australians (approximately 28% of the total population) across all ages. Due to their diverse nature, there is considerable variation in the prevalence, treatment and management, and quality of life of people with these conditions across various life stages. This report describes these impacts in the following age groups: childhood (015), young adulthood (1634), middle years (3564), older Australians (6579) and Australians aged 80 or over.
Read more on AIHW – Australian Institute of Health and Welfare website
Interventions for improving the appropriate use of imaging in people with musculoskeletal conditions | Cochrane
Imaging is the production of a clinical image of the human body using medical techniques such as x-rays, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance (MRI). Imaging is commonly performed for musculoskeletal conditions and is an important aspect of the management of these conditions. In some instances, imaging may not be appropriate, for example x-rays for acute low back pain, and in other instances, imaging is under utilised, for example bone mineral density testing to diagnose people at risk for osteoporosis. The identification of interventions that improve the appropriate use of imaging (either decreasing inappropriate use or increasing appropriate use) for musculoskeletal conditions would be of great value, potentially resulting in improved health outcomes for patients and reduced healthcare costs. The aim of this systematic review was to identify those interventions that improve appropriate use of imaging and to quantify their effects.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Pain Conditions - painHEALTH
Clinically supported, in-depth information about a range of musculoskeletal pain conditions to help you better understand your musculoskeletal pain
Read more on painHEALTH website
Tapentadol for chronic musculoskeletal pain in adults | Cochrane
Pain in bones, joints, and muscles is very common and can often be persistent. It is expected that 50% of the general population will suffer from this type of pain for at least three months or longer during their lifetime. This condition is called chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for acute musculoskeletal pain in adults | Cochrane
Acute musculoskeletal pain describes conditions like a sprained ankle or a muscle pull. These usually get better over two or three weeks without treatment, but can be very painful while they last.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Pain Management - painHEALTH
Learn how to co-manage your muscularskeletal pain conditions through our range of evidence-based pain management tools, advice, tips and skills
Read more on painHEALTH website
Vitamin D for the treatment of chronic painful conditions in adults | Cochrane
Chronic pain is pain of moderate or severe intensity lasting three months or more. It can have a variety of causes, but most comes from musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis, or pain in muscles. Chronic pain usually affects older people more than younger people. Chronic pain is disabling, and has a large negative impact on quality of life.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Interventions for the prevention and treatment of pes cavus (high-arched foot deformity) | Cochrane
Pes cavus is characterised by an excessively high medial longitudinal arch (the arch on the inside of the foot) and is typically defined as a high-arched or supinated foot type. Population based studies suggest the prevalence of pes cavus is approximately 10%, and its cause is primarily neuromuscular (for example Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease) or idiopathic (unknown) in nature. It has been estimated that 60% of people with cavus feet will experience chronic foot pain at some time in their life, most commonly beneath the forefoot (for example metatarsalgia, sesamoiditis) or heel (for example plantar fasciitis). Conditions such as these are thought to be the result of abnormal pressure distribution across the sole of the foot during walking. Many conservative therapies and surgical procedures have been recommended for cavus-related foot pain. In particular, foot orthoses (aids applied and worn on the outside of the body to support the bony structures) customised to an individual's foot shape are increasingly prescribed by podiatrists, physiotherapists, orthopaedic surgeons and rehabilitation specialists for people with pes cavus pain. This updated review analysed four relevant trials, but only one fully met the inclusion criteria. This trial with 154 adults showed that custom-made foot orthoses can reduce and redistribute plantar foot pressure and subsequently decrease foot pain by approximately 75%. Some biomechanical outcomes, such as pressure distribution, improve with custom-made foot orthoses and footwear, but many other biomechanical outcomes, such as foot alignment or muscle activity, do not improve with botulinum toxin or off-the-shelf foot orthoses, respectively. More research is needed to determine the effectiveness of other interventions for people with painful high-arched feet.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
