Britons warned of ‘tsunami’ of pain

Britain is facing a “tsunami” of pain as the number of osteoarthritis cases soars, a leading expert has warned.

Increased life expectancy and rising levels of obesity mean the number of sufferers is set to double to more than 17 million by 2030, the charity Arthritis Care has predicted.

The warning was made after a survey commissioned by the charity showed 71 per cent of the UK’s 8.5 million osteoarthritis sufferers are in constant pain and one in eight describes it as often “unbearable”.

Philip Conaghan, professor of musculoskeletal medicine at Leeds University, predicted that millions more people would soon be affected by the joint-related illness. “Britain is facing a tsunami of pain as the number of people over 50 increases dramatically,” he said.

“Action is needed immediately - we have to bust this myth that painful joints are an inevitable part of getting older that we have to put up with.”