Health Health news Just sleep on it Negative attitudes towards sleep can worsen the pain experienced by arthritis patients, researchers from the University of Warwick have found. The research team has developed a new scale called PBAS Development of the PainRelated Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep. The scale, when tested on four groups of patients suffering from long-term pain and bad sleeping patterns, showed that people who believe theirpain would not allow themto getagood nights sleep are more likelyto suffer insomnia, therefore adding to the pain. The scale and the report were published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. Current psychological treatments for chronic pain have mostly focused on pain management with a lesser emphasis on sleep. However, the American Pain Society, which conducted similar research earlier in 2016, concluded that cognitive behavioural therapies that focus on sleep might have the most significant benefits for improving sleep in patients with osteoarthritis and insomnia. FAst FAct there is no evidence that cracking your knuckles causes arthritis in the long term, says professor philip Conaghan of the academic unit of musculoskeletal medicine at the university of Leeds. Testers needed! researchers who have developed a special walking frame fitted with sensors part of a project aimed at reducing the number of falls are looking for a group of older people from greater Manchester so they can study their movement in detail. The team, from the University of Salford, has developed the Smart Walker walking frame. Its fitted with motion and force sensors, and is used in combination with pressure-sensing insoles in the users shoes to improve understanding of how older people use walking aids. Over the next year, the team hopes to recruit up to 40 pickup frame users from Greater Manchester to study them using the device at the university or in their own homes. Transport and lunch will be provided. A lot of older people might feel very nervous about getting involved, but we will make it as easy as possible for them and can talk to them beforehand about exactly what were doing, says Dr Sibylle Thies, who leads the team. For more details, contact Dr Sibylle Thies on 0161 295 2679 or here Almost two-tHirds of people with arthritis are under the age of 65, including an estimated 300,000 cHildren