Written by Dr Clodagh Toomey and Dr Helen O’Leary – School of Allied Health, University of Limerick
Chronic, painful conditions affecting the joints are extremely prevalent, with joint pain responsible for approximately 21% of GP presentations.1 Musculoskeletal conditions are a common cause of repeated consultations,2 and take up a high proportion of orthopaedic waiting lists in Ireland (outpatient orthopaedic wait list 64,000+ as of April 2025). However, many patients find themselves on these waiting lists for months or even years, often without the need for specialist consultations. During this time, their pain can intensify, hindering their ability to live, work, and remain active.
Many of these conditions (e.g., osteoarthritis) can be diagnosed without imaging, and managed well with education and advice on exercise, optimal load management and lifestyle factors such as sleep and healthy eating. These approaches can help limit symptoms, prevent disability, and improve outcomes. Gaining expert knowledge on how to exercise with these conditions and manage pain and other symptoms can be transformative for these individuals and is an essential aspect of recommended care.3 However, insufficient time in consultations and accessibility of physiotherapy are two of the biggest barriers to exercise prescription or referral for GPs in Ireland.4 In addition, physiotherapists in Ireland find that insufficient time is a barrier, while the provision of educational resources would be an enabler to the care they provide.4
While the internet provides access to a wealth of health information, it also presents challenges due to the prevalence of misinformation and “fake news,” making it hard to locate reliable resources. Many websites offer inaccurate or biased information, often promoting unproven expensive treatments or sensationalising the condition. More than ever, we are aware of the importance of the impact that language, diagnostic labelling and explanations have on patient beliefs about how to manage their pain.5 We therefore need to exercise caution and check the source of information we provide to our patients carefully.
What is JointPain.ie?
JointPain.ie is a new free Irish educational resource co-designed by academics, patients and clinicians for healthcare professionals and patients presenting with different musculoskeletal painful conditions related to the hip and knee joint. The website can be accessed in the hospital or clinic consult, or by patients at home, on computer, tablet or smartphone (using the QR code below). It contains evidencebased accessible information for patients on conditions such as osteoarthritis, degenerative meniscal tears, patellofemoral pain and gluteal tendinopathy. It should be a very useful supportive resource for you to share with your patients that they can use on a day-to-day basis to improve their pain and function.
How did this website come about?
The development of this website was supported by a Health Research Board Knowledge Translation Award, awarded to Dr Clodagh Toomey and Dr Helen O’Leary, researchers and physiotherapists in the School of Allied Health at the University of Limerick. In their respective research projects focused on improvement of health services for hip and knee osteoarthritis and meniscal tears, there was a clear need identified by healthcare professionals and patients for an educational resource for people in Ireland with joint pain. While “education and selfmanagement” are key tenets of clinical guidelines for conditions like osteoarthritis, there is little consistency in how or what gets delivered to the patient. This website was developed to fill that gap and provide evidence-based and expert-backed messages to help patients manage their pain and make informed decisions.
With input from a team of clinicians, researchers and people with joint conditions, the new resource, JointPain.ie, was codesigned to suit an Irish audience. This was done in collaboration with Arthritis Ireland, the National Clinical Programme for Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery and collaborators at La Trobe University Melbourne.
What are the key conditions being covered?
At the time of launch, the website has evidence-based accessible information on the most common hip and knee conditions including: knee osteoarthritis, degenerative meniscal tears, patellofemoral pain, hip osteoarthritis and gluteal tendinopathy. In future, additional joints and conditions will be added including femoro-acetabular impingement, hand osteoarthritis, shoulder rotator cuff tears etc.
What are the key messages?
For each condition, the user is presented with information on understanding the condition (causes, symptoms, diagnosis) and the evidence-based management options. There is a large emphasis on management of joint conditions through physical activity and lifestyle with practical tips on coping with pain, sleep, diet and optimal loading of the affected area. It also features an extensive video library of recommended exercises for each condition, organised by level of difficulty.
The user is advised on how to monitor pain levels during exercise and when to seek additional help. Evidence and expert-based information, infographics and videos are also provided on medication use, injections and surgery, highlighting the most appropriate order of treatment. There is also an accessibility feature on the website that allows the user to personalise features including text size, colour, font type, use a screen reader etc.
What resources are available for healthcare professionals?
The website also has a section for clinicians which features “Quick Guides” for diagnosis and management of each condition. There are links to most recent clinical guidelines for conditions and downloadable exercise programmes and information sheets to share with patients. How should this website be used?
This website is intended to be used with you and your patients who have a new diagnosis or who would benefit from learning more about any aspect of their joint condition, including exercise and self-management. It is not intended to replace the individualised advice from a healthcare professional but offers an evidence-based educational resource to help support management. Depending on the patient and time allowance, healthcare professionals can talk and guide the patient through components of the website in clinic, print off resources or prescribe the learning resources to be completed at home via the QR code or link: www.jointpain.ie.
A promotional video of the website can be accessed here: https:// youtu.be/LR6wSn8A7Jw
Project Team:
Co-PI’s: Dr Clodagh Toomey (clodagh.toomey@ul.ie) and Dr Helen O’Leary (helen.oleary@ul.ie)
Collaborators: Prof Liam Glynn (University of Limerick), Prof Karen McCreesh (University of Limerick), Stacey Grealis (Patient Partner), Grainne O’Leary (Arthritis Ireland), Ruth Kiely (National Clinical Programme for Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery), Dr Christian Barton (La Trobe University).
References available on request
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