Help end arthritis pain by sharing your day with Arthritis Research UK
This is National Arthritis Week and Arthritis Research UK wants you to share your daily experiences of living with joint pain and arthritis. Your stories are vital to help guide their research and end the pain of arthritis
There are 10 million people in the UK living with the pain and frustration of arthritis, 8.75m of whom have osteoarthritis. The pain of arthritis is often described as ‘invisible’, but stiffness in the joints can make even everyday tasks like going to the shops, making a cup of tea or getting a good night sleep really difficult. In addition to physical effects, pain can also make people depressed and anxious.
Arthritis Research UK is a national charity funding pioneering research into the cause, treatment and prevention of arthritis. There have been some remarkable research breakthroughs already, but there is still more to be done to improve the quality of life for millions of people affected by joint pain and arthritis.
This week the charity is launching a new campaign asking people to share their day to day experiences of arthritis, to guide the pain research they fund in 2016.
The Share Your Day, Shape Our Future campaign wants you to share how joint pain and arthritis impacts your day, the challenges you face and the triumphs you experience, no matter how small they may be.
Mary is 57 and lives in Derbyshire. She has osteoarthritis and says it impacts her on a daily basis: “I’m a school caretaker and work in sheltered housing over the weekends. I’ve had to change employment to accommodate my needs. I love my work but it can be really physically challenging – I try not to stand for long periods of time and doing general household chores can be both difficult and painful. But I’ve found little things can make a big difference – for example at home I’ve now got blinds that can easily pull across the window rather than having to deal with heavy curtains. I also keep as active as I can as I know once I stop, it can be hard to get going again! I’m adamant that I’m going to take control of my condition – I’ve got arthritis but I’m not going to let it control my life.”
The charity’s researchers need your stories to be submitted on the special campaign website – www.nationalarthritisweek.org. You can also read and comment on other people’s experiences, and access expert patient information about managing arthritis and joint pain.
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