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Musculoskeletal problems were an enormous, but often overlooked, burden on the nation’s health and economy before COVID-19. An estimated 18.8 million people suffered from conditions such as arthritis and back pain — around one in three people1 — and every year 27.8 million working days were lost to MSK issues2.

As a result of the pandemic, we now face a tsunami of additional MSK problems associated with treatment delays, changes in general health and activity levels, symptoms linked to Long-COVID and working from home.

1 https://www.versusarthritis.org/media/14594/state-of-musculoskeletal-health-2019.pdf (PDF, 1.5MB)

2 Corporate MSK Client brochure (Sickness absence in the UK labour market 2018) (PDF, 0.756MB)

3 https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/ coronavirusandhomeworkingintheuklabourmarket/2019

4 https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/ coronavirustheukeconomyandsocietyfasterindicators/23april2020

5 https://www.versusarthritis.org/media/14594/state-of-musculoskeletal-health-2019.pdf (PDF, 1.5MB)

6 https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/6/e048772

7 https://www.versusarthritis.org/media/14594/state-of-musculoskeletal-health-2019.pdf (PDF, 1.5MB) Page 15

8 https://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/uncategorised/average-gp-waiting-times-exceed-two-weeks-for-first-time-ever/

9 Internal Bupa Analysis 2020

10 https://www.csp.org.uk/system/files/documents/2018-11/stretched-to-the-limit-2012.pdf (PDF, 6.7MB)


*Direct Access telephone services are available as long as the symptoms are covered under the policy or health trust. If your cover excludes conditions you had before your cover started, we’ll ask you to provide evidence from your GP that your symptoms are not pre-existing for a period of up to two years after your cover started. For rolling moratorium underwritten policies or health trusts we will ask for evidence each time you claim for a condition not claimed for before. Always call us first to check your eligibility.

Bupa health insurance is provided by Bupa Insurance Limited. Registered in England and Wales No. 3956433. Bupa Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Arranged and administered by Bupa Insurance Services Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales No. 3829851. Registered office: 1 Angel Court, London EC2R 7HJ

Bupa Health Trusts are administered by Bupa Insurance Services Limited. Registered in England and Wales No. 3829851. Registered office: 1 Angel Court, London EC2R 7HJ © Bupa 2024

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