READ OUR BLOG

As siblings living with psoriatic arthritis, Musculoskeletal Health Awareness Month holds significant importance for both my sister, Brooke, and me, Aidan. We are among the growing number of young Australians affected by musculoskeletal diseases, like arthritis, osteoporosis, back pain and a whole lot of others.

Diagnosed nearly six years ago, we initially knew very few people who understood what musculoskeletal diseases were. In fact, we hadn’t even heard of them ourselves until our diagnoses. While there’s lots of information online, most people don’t seek it out unless it affects them personally.

Musculoskeletal Health Awareness Month is helping to change that. Throughout this month, we’ve come across loads of new information and have connected with others who share similar experiences to my sister and me. This has been invaluable for us. It’s also great to see a campaign dedicated to helping others learn about the impacts of living with a condition like ours too.

Helping everyone to understand more about musculoskeletal diseases will benefit everyone. Building recognition and understanding will make everyday life easier for people like us living with these conditions.

You can support Musculoskeletal Health Awareness Month by joining us at The World’s Biggest Sit In – a world record attempt for the largest chair-based exercise class ever held on Thursday the 31^st of October at 10.30 ADET!

Register at wbsi.org.au

My name is Teika and I am 20 years old. I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis when I was 15 and have had, and still do face many hardships in dealing with my condition, including the ongoing process of finding the right medications and treatments to help with my symptoms.

Being diagnosed at a young age, while still looking “healthy” to most people, has given me a deep understanding of the struggles children and teenagers with musculoskeletal conditions face. It’s incredibly isolating when your peers don’t understand what you’re going through and walking into medical appointments only to realise you’re the youngest person there can make you feel so out of place.

I’m not the only one. Many children and adolescents in Australia and around the world go through similar experiences, which is why Musculoskeletal Health Awareness Month is so important to me. It helps destigmatise arthritis and brings awareness to many different aspects of musculoskeletal conditions by providing information and resources. Arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions can affect anyone at any age which is why this awareness campaign is extremely important.

Just as important is The World’s Biggest Sit-In (WBSI)–  A record attempt for the largest chair-based exercise class, which you or can join in person or online. The WBSI website has a number of online chair-based exercise classes which encourages people to get active – no matter their condition or fitness level.

The World’s Biggest Sit-In, along with Musculoskeletal Health Awareness Month, holds a special place in my heart as a young Australian living with a condition often seen as an ‘old person’s disease’.

Raising awareness is vital for those who may not fully understand these conditions, but also for young people like me, who face the emotional and physical toll that comes with them. These campaigns are a lifeline, offering support, understanding, and care for everyone battling these diseases.

Hello, I’m Mikayla, a 23-year-old living in rural Victoria.

I have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and fibromyalgia. I was diagnosed with RA at 12 years old, which was so challenging. I was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia last year.

Musculoskeletal Health Australia’s Musculoskeletal Health Awareness Month, along with the World’s Biggest Sit-In, hold great significance to me. These initiatives not only help raise awareness about musculoskeletal conditions and musculoskeletal health, but also provide opportunities to learn from health professionals throughout October, through MHA webinars.

As someone who was diagnosed with arthritis at a young age, I know firsthand how important it is to break the stigma around musculoskeletal conditions. There are lots of hardships faced when having arthritis as a young child, especially around everyday things like school. It can feel so isolating and lonely, when there aren’t people going through the same thing as you and you feel like you have no one to turn to.

Musculoskeletal Health Australia is great for providing resources, information as well as a helpline. By fostering awareness, we can help others better understand the challenges we face, particularly when navigating the healthcare system.

The World’s Biggest Sit-In (WBSI) is Musculoskeletal Health Australia’s major awareness and fundraising campaign. This initiative encourages people to get active while considering the impact arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions have on overall health and wellbeing. I love how the exercises will be online so you can partake at any time, and also go at your own pace and level. This makes it a great way to keep moving while we raise money at the same time. Then, on October 31st, everyone can join the World’s Biggest Sit-In record attempt, either in person or online, for a fun and engaging morning of chair-based exercise! I love that as a community we can come together to support one another and help raise awareness and conversation around musculoskeletal conditions.

I invite everyone to get involved in this fantastic campaign! No matter your age or ability, we can all come together to raise awareness for musculoskeletal health and learn how to better care for ourselves or our loved ones.