Like other chronic conditions, the symptoms of osteoarthritis tend to fluctuate. About 25-30% of people suffering from knee osteoarthritis also suffer from what we call OA “flares” or “exacerbations”. These “flares” are often described as temporary episodes of increased pain, stiffness and swelling, which may also be accompanied by other physical and psychological symptoms. “Flares” can cause considerable disruption to daily activities, sleeping and concentration and is a common complaint from those presenting to health professionals. Despite this, there is little known about what causes flares and how we can best manage them.

On today’s episode of Joint Action, we will be speaking to Dr Martin Thomas to learn more about “flares”, their triggers and how to best manage them.

Dr Martin Thomas is a clinical academic, working as a Research Fellow in the School of Medicine at Keele University in the UK and as a Specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist in the NHS. After completing a degree in Human Movement Science at the University of Liverpool and a Masters in Sport Psychology from Liverpool John Moores University, he went on to qualify as a physiotherapist in 2007, also from the University of Liverpool. In 2009 he moved to Keele to undertake a PhD on the clinical epidemiology of symptomatic midfoot osteoarthritis. As a post-doctoral researcher, his primary focus is on leading and developing web-based cohort studies using self-controlled methodologies to examine flares of osteoarthritis. His flares work was funded by the NIHR through its School for Primary Care Research and through an Integrated Clinical Academic Programme Clinical Lectureship from the NIHR and Health Education England (www.nihr.ac.uk).

RESOURCES

• Infographic on flares

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