Official Statistics

Musculoskeletal conditions profile: short commentary, May 2022

Published 4 May 2022

Applies to England

New in this update

The following indicators have been revised and updated:

• prevalence of a self-reported long-term musculoskeletal (MSK) problem
• prevalence of self-reporting at least 2 long-term conditions, at least one of which is MSK related

The following indicator has been added:

• odds of self-reported mental health conditions in people with an MSK condition, compared with those without an MSK condition (odds ratio).

Summary

This summary focuses on England level data. The Musculoskeletal Conditions profile presents indicators at the local authority level in addition to regional and England values.

Prevalence of self-reported long-term musculoskeletal (MSK) problem

The prevalence of people aged 16 and over self-reporting a long-term MSK condition, either arthritis or ongoing problem with back or joints, was 17.0% in 2021. This represents a statistically significant decrease from the 2020 level of 18.3%.

In 2021, the prevalence of self-reported MSK problems remained lower in males (14.6%) than in females (19.3%).

The prevalence of adults self-reporting a long-term MSK condition showed an increase with age, from 2.3% among 16 to 24 year-olds to 50.3% among those aged 85 years and over.

When looking at different ethnic groups, the prevalence of self-reported MSK problems amongst those who identified as White Irish (20.1%), White English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British (19.4%), White Gypsy or Irish Traveller (19.1%), or Black Caribbean (17.6%) was higher than among those who identified as Chinese (6.6%) or White Roma (7.0%).

Prevalence of self-reporting at least 2 long-term conditions, at least one of which is MSK related

The prevalence among people aged 16 and over self-reporting at least 2 long-term conditions, at least one of which is MSK related, was 12.1% in 2021. This represents a statistically significant decrease from 2020 (13.2%).

In 2021, the prevalence of self-reporting at least 2 long-term conditions, at least one of which was MSK related, remained lower in males (10.4%) than in females (13.8%).

The prevalence of adults self-reporting at least 2 long-term conditions, at least one of which is MSK related, showed an increase with age, from 1.5% among 16 to 24 year-olds to 44.0% among those aged 85 years and over.

When looking at different ethnic groups, the prevalence of self-reporting at least 2 long-term conditions one of which was MSK related was higher among those who identified as White Gypsy or Irish Traveller (17.3%), White Irish (14.8%), White English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British (14.1%), or Black Caribbean (13.1%) than among those who identified as Chinese (3.7%) or White Roma (4.4%).

Odds of self-reported mental health conditions in people with an MSK condition, compared with those without an MSK condition (odds ratio)

The odds of self-reporting a mental health condition among people with an MSK condition compared with those without (presented as an odds ratio) is a new indicator for this release of the Musculoskeletal Conditions profile. The odds ratio quantifies the difference in prevalence of mental health conditions between those with an MSK condition with those without an MSK condition. An odds ratio higher than 1 means the prevalence is higher amongst those with a long term MSK condition than in those with no MSK condition.

In 2021, the odds ratio in all persons aged 16 and over was 1.4. This means the prevalence of self-reported mental health conditions was higher in people with an MSK condition than in people without. This figure is unchanged from 2020. In 2021, the odds ratio was 1.5 for males and 1.3 for females. This means the excess prevalence of self-reported mental health conditions associated with MSK conditions is higher in males than in females.

The odds ratio of self-reporting a mental health condition among people with an MSK condition compared to those without an MSK condition generally decreased with age, from 3.6 among 16 to 24 year olds to 1.1 among those aged 85 years and over. This indicates that the excess prevalence of self-reported mental health conditions associated with MSK conditions is greater in young adults.

When looking at different ethnic groups, the odds ratio of self-reporting a mental health condition among people with an MSK condition compared to those without an MSK condition was highest amongst those who identified as White Gypsy or Irish Traveller (3.1), Any other ethnic group (3.0), Pakistani (2.9), Bangladeshi (2.6), or Black African (2.5) and lowest amongst those who identified as White English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British (1.2), White Irish (1.2) and Chinese (1.3).

Background

MSK conditions are the leading cause of pain and disability in England and are one of the biggest causes of sickness absence and productivity loss.

The aim of the Musculoskeletal Conditions profile is to provide meaningful data, on a single platform, to enable the commissioning of high value MSK services. MSK data is essential for understanding the health needs of local populations, the number of people accessing services, the cost of services and the outcomes services deliver.

The new indicator has been introduced as there is often a complex interaction between mental health and MSK conditions. Living with an MSK condition can lead to depression and anxiety and conversely, poor mental health can exacerbate or potentially lead to an MSK condition. This indicator has been produced to raise awareness of the association between MSK conditions and mental health conditions and to stimulate better pain management strategies.

Methodology

The confidence interval methodology for the 2 existing indicators has been changed from the Wilson Score method to a simulated method using the unweighted sample size and the weighted prevalence estimate. Confidence intervals for the historic timepoints have been updated to use the new methodology.

For the percentage reporting a long-term MSK problem, the previously published confidence interval for England in 2020 changed from a width of 0.191% points to 0.186% points under the new methodology.

The largest change at local authority level for 2020 was a change in a confidence interval width from 6.36 percentage points to 6.11 percentage points.

For the percentage reporting at least 2 long-term conditions, at least one of which is MSK-related, the previously published confidence interval for England in 2020 changed from a width of 0.165% points to 0.163% points under the new methodology.

The largest change at LA level for 2020 was a change in a confidence interval width from 6.96 percentage points to 6.76 percentage points.

Further details can be found in the Musculoskeletal Conditions profile.

We have published revised estimates for the 2020 value for the percentage of people reporting a long-term MSK problem (England, all persons) after the identification of an error. This has resulted in a decrease in the estimated prevalence from 18.60% to 18.28%.

We have also published revised estimates for the 2018 value for the for percentage of people reporting at least 2 long-term conditions, at least one of which is an MSK problem (England, all persons) after the identification of an error. This has resulted in an increase in the estimated prevalence from 13.40% to 13.41%.

If you would like to get in touch about the Musculoskeletal Conditions profile, please contact msk.enquiries@phe.gov.uk.