Associate feature: Time to make MSK matter

Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are regularly misunderstood as ‘something older people get’ and ‘just a bit of pain’; the brutal reality is that the damage they cause to our health, economy and society amounts to a crisis.

MSK conditions affect 1 in 3 of Scotland’s adult population; enough to fill Lewis Capaldi’s recent sold out concert at the Hydro 119 times. [1] Over 18,000 children under 16 also live with a long-term MSK condition. The impact of arthritis is huge, affecting the ability to work, care for family, move free from pain and live independently. 

The weight of the MSK burden on the NHS has been consistently overlooked. Orthopaedics accounts for about a third of waiting times with over 10,000 people across Scotland waiting over a year for orthopaedic surgery.  Some regions are struggling immensely – Orthopaedics accounts for a staggering 62% of waiting times in Dumfries and Galloway. [2]

Tackling MSK conditions will boost our economy 

Tackling MSK conditions is as much about the long-term strength and resilience of the economy as a public health issue. MSK conditions are one of the main reasons given for economic inactivity caused by ill-health and second only behind mental health for sickness benefit claims. 

Imagine the boost to Scotland’s economy if more people living with arthritis were supported to stay in work or return to employment? 

False dawns and broken commitments

Politicians are failing to prioritise the MSK crisis to reflect the damage it is inflicting on Scotland. For Trauma & Orthopaedics (T&O), the 12-week Treatment Time Guarantee has not been met at any point since it was introduced 13 years ago. Delivery is significantly below the legal standard, with T&O consistently identified as a specialty under particular pressure. On current trajectories, the Scottish Government will also fail to deliver its promise (recently downgraded by Neil Gray to a mere ‘aspiration’) to bring waits over 52 weeks down to zero by March 2026. As the single largest cohort, people waiting for orthopaedic surgery are impacted more than most.

The Programme for Government allocated £106m to tackle NHS waiting times; less than a quarter went towards orthopaedics and an analysis of the figures by Versus Arthritis shows the funding is not going to the areas struggling most. NHS Dumfries and Galloway received less than a third of the funding allocated to the Borders despite dealing with 44% more patients waiting over a year for treatment. [3] 

In the Scottish Parliament’s 25-year history, there has never been a debate focused solely on MSK conditions or arthritis. People living with MSK conditions feel they do not matter; that their long-term illness is simply not a priority. They have grown increasingly frustrated watching politicians break multiple commitments and make grandiose announcements that turn out to be false dawns. 

Scotland’s MSK health matters; as we approach next year’s elections our politicians and government must Make MSK Matter and give arthritis the recognition and investment it so badly needs and deserves. That is why Versus Arthritis is putting the spotlight on MSK at an MSP drop-in event in the Burns Room of the Scottish Parliament on 25 September, 1:00pm-2:15pm. 

MSPs will have the opportunity to hear from people living with arthritis, speak to medical professionals on the front line, and learn more about why MSK matters to Scotland’s health, economy and society.

[1] OVO Hydro maximum capacity is 14,300 people. 1.7 million adults live with an MSK condition in Scotland. 

[2] Public Health Scotland – Trauma and Orthopaedic waiting times, June 2025. 

[3] Dumfries and Galloway health board was allocated £772,963; Borders health board was allocated £2,550,705. In March 2025, there were 763 waits over a year for all specialties in D&G as opposed to 428 in the Borders.

This article is sponsored by Versus Arthritis

https://versusarthritis.org/in-your-area/scotland/