Opinion The tabloids love a miracle cure headline Sorting the wheat from the chaff can sometimes reveal a nugget of gold With the news so relentlessly bleak just now, a search for snippets of optimism can provide a crumb of comfort. Theres no shortage of references to arthritis in the press, but as Ive said before we have to sort the wheat from the chaff. The tabloids love a miracle cure headline, but by the second paragraph you soon realise the story being told is neither cure nor miraculous. But Ive looked at some interesting reports emerging from UK universities, which may contain something more substantial. At Swansea University, a study has found machine learning can help with the early detection of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) inflammatory arthritis and according to the university revolutionise how people are detected and diagnosed by their GPs (bit.ly/ASmachinelearning). Its early days, as one of the researchers concedes, but theres a telling comment from the head of rheumatology at Cardiff University, who says: On average, it takes eight years for patients with AS from having symptoms to receiving a diagnosis and getting treatment. Machine learning may provide a The team is now suggesting that workplaces provide more support for people living with the condition, so they can keep working as long as they wish. Amen to that. Julian Worricker is a BBC TV and radio presenter, and journalist. He has psoriatic arthritis useful tool to reduce this delay. Then there was this from the University of Leeds: People with arthritis 20% less likely to work. (bit.ly/arthritiswork). This resonated with me as I did a series of reports for BBC Radio 4 on arthritis some years ago, and this was one of the areas we looked at. The Leeds study matched a group of 18,000 people with arthritis to another group of the same size who didnt have the condition. Other characteristics such as age, gender, level of education and ethnicity were matched as far as was possible. The research showed big differences in how peoples working lives were affected by arthritis, and concluded: Wrist pain Inevitably, while looking for reliable quotations from qualified scientific voices, I stumbled upon other items of interest. One addressed a searing pain I experienced some years ago carpal tunnel syndrome caused by arthritis in my wrists. At the time I wore a splint, which helped a bit, but in the end, the pain was eased more significantly by a short course of steroids. Now, though, it appears the hand-massager market has taken off. I have no idea how much these help, but I found reviews of some sophisticated pieces of kit, which some clearly swear by. Some are pretty pricey one cost more than 200 so I guess the advice is to shop around and seek expert advice. If youve just blanched at the prospect of breaking the bank for something you plug in, there are roller ball and spiky ball options, nonelectric, for 8.99. Perhaps a better starting point 17 versusarthritis.org PP17_Inspire_Summer 2023_Column.indd 17 17/05/2023 12:18