ARMA launches new strategy to make musculoskeletal health a national priority

With 20 million people affected, ARMA launches five year strategy to make MSK health a national priority.

The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) has launched a bold new five-year strategy to transform how musculoskeletal (MSK) health is recognised, prevented and treated across the UK.

MSK conditions are the leading cause of pain and disability, affecting more than 20 million people. They limit independence, reduce healthy life expectancy, drive economic inactivity and place major pressure on health and care services. Yet MSK health remains consistently overlooked in national policy and investment.

ARMA’s 2026 - 2031 strategy, 20 Million Reasons, sets out how the UK wide alliance of patient organisations, professional bodies and research groups will change that. It commits ARMA to securing stronger political and senior NHS leadership, shifting the system towards prevention and neighbourhood based support, tackling inequalities, and improving access to timely, effective MSK care.
The strategy positions MSK health as fundamental to the nation’s wellbeing and prosperity and calls for collective action to make it impossible to ignore.

Adrian Bradley, Chief Executive of ARMA, said:

“MSK health must not be overlooked. It’s central to our nation’s health and prosperity. If we invest in prevention, whole system change and better treatment and care in every community, we can improve millions of lives and secure a decade of better health and wellbeing.”

Justine Clarke, Chief Operating Officer of the BOA, said:

“We strongly support ARMA’s strategy and its ambition to make musculoskeletal health a national priority. Relieving pain and restoring function is fundamental to improving quality of life, reducing inequality and enabling people to remain active and independent. ARMA’s collective voice is critical in ensuring MSK health receives the political focus and investment it warrants. By working together across the MSK community, we can turn evidence and lived experience into meaningful policy change and make MSK health impossible to ignore.”

You can read the full strategy at https://arma.uk.net/arma-posts/armas-strategic-plan.