Written question asked by Baroness Berger (Labour) on Tuesday, 11 March 2014, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 13 March 2014. It was answered by Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 18 March 2014 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Exercise

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of physical activity programmes to address the needs of people with painful conditions such as arthritis.

Answer

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a range of guidance on pain and pain management. This guidance represents evidence-based best practice and provides a clear description of what high-quality health and social care services look like, so that organisations can improve quality and achieve excellence.

The Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Guideline CG79, published by NICE in 2009, states people with rheumatoid arthritis should have access to specialist physiotherapy, with periodic review, to:

improve general fitness and encourage regular exercise; and

learn exercises for joint flexibility, muscle strength and managing other functional impairments.

NICE has also published Clinical Guidance on Low Back Pain, CG88. The guidance includes a recommendation to ‘advise people with low back pain that staying physically active is likely to be beneficial’ and highlights as a key priority for implementation a recommendation to clinicians to consider offering a structured exercise programme tailored to the individual.

The Department expects clinical commissioning groups to take into account any relevant NICE guidance as they design services to meet the needs of patients.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 191426; 577 c568W
Session: 2013-14
Subjects: Exercise Arthritis
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk

Exercise

Secondary information

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