{"id":3861,"date":"2025-10-09T15:43:16","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T04:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webdev.sydney.edu.au\/kolling\/?post_type=news&p=3861"},"modified":"2026-03-12T10:46:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T23:46:28","slug":"national-campaign-to-combat-misinformation-about-osteoarthritis-care","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/news\/national-campaign-to-combat-misinformation-about-osteoarthritis-care\/","title":{"rendered":"National campaign to combat misinformation about osteoarthritis care"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Co-inciding with World Arthritis Day (12 October), researchers from the University of Sydney and the Kolling Institue are urging the community to avoid low-value osteoarthritis care, in favour of evidenced-based resources to help manage the condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and one of the leading causes of disability globally. It affects over 2 million people in Australia alone, and yet there is a critical gap in care, with the majority of people often provided with outdated advice, and low-value treatments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leading rheumatologist, and University of Sydney and Kolling Institute researcher Professor David Hunter said when it comes to osteoarthritis treatments, many people are wasting their time and money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy dispelling common myths and providing people with evidence-based knowledge, we can empower them to improve their pain, mobility, and quality of life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers have joined a campaign with Arthritis Australia to focus on empowerment through knowledge. It directs people to four trusted, easy-to-access resources to broaden their understanding of the condition and practical steps to manage it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practical, Proven, and Free – Four Resources That Make a Difference:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Read: <\/strong>MyOA – Plain-language guides, tools, and strategies for daily management<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Listen:<\/strong> Joint Action Podcast – Expert and lived experience episodes<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Watch:<\/strong> OA Essentials Webinar – Practical tips for managing OA pain in just 30 minutes<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Participate:<\/strong> OA Research Participant Network – Connects Australians with relevant research opportunities. Click here for more details:<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese resources are clear, credible, and freely available,\u201d said Louise Hardy, Interim CEO of Arthritis Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe more people we can reach through trusted organisations, newsletters, and social media, the more likely they are to feel confident in managing their condition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many Australians are still managing osteoarthritis based on myths and misinformation like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf Avoiding exercise out of fear<\/strong> \u2014 when movement is one of the most effective ways to reduce pain and improve function
\u25cf Using opioids<\/strong> \u2014 despite strong recommendations against their use for OA
\u25cf Paying for expensive treatments like stem cells and platelet rich plasma<\/strong> \u2014 current evidence suggests these are no more effective than salt water injections
\u25cf Believing surgery is inevitable<\/strong> \u2014 when a joint replacement isn\u2019t in most people\u2019s future
\u25cf Overlooking the impact of small changes<\/strong> \u2014 even modest weight loss and diet shifts reduce pain and load<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToo many Australians are still being told there\u2019s nothing they can do, and that\u2019s simply not true,\u201d said Professor Hunter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe key is making small, consistent changes in line with what the evidence supports. If in doubt, stick to the basics: move regularly and gently, understand which treatments are truly effective, and surround yourself with a support network that helps motivate you.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3862,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12,13,15],"tags":[33],"research-group-tax":[],"primary-research-area":[],"class_list":["post-3861","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-musculoskeletal-research","category-neuroscience-pain-research","category-research-excellence","tag-rehabilitation"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/thumb_Blog_Professor-David-Hunter-in-office_w550_h380_fcrop.webp",550,380,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/thumb_Blog_Professor-David-Hunter-in-office_w550_h380_fcrop-150x150.webp",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/thumb_Blog_Professor-David-Hunter-in-office_w550_h380_fcrop-300x207.webp",300,207,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/thumb_Blog_Professor-David-Hunter-in-office_w550_h380_fcrop.webp",550,380,false],"large":["https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/thumb_Blog_Professor-David-Hunter-in-office_w550_h380_fcrop.webp",550,380,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/thumb_Blog_Professor-David-Hunter-in-office_w550_h380_fcrop.webp",550,380,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/thumb_Blog_Professor-David-Hunter-in-office_w550_h380_fcrop.webp",550,380,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"ict-wordpress-support@sydney.edu.au","author_link":"https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/author\/ict-wordpress-supportsydney-edu-au\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Co-inciding with World Arthritis Day (12 October), researchers from the University of Sydney and the Kolling Institue are urging the community to avoid low-value osteoarthritis care, in favour of evidenced-based resources to help manage the condition. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and one of the leading causes of disability globally. It affects…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/3861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/3861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5159,"href":"https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/3861\/revisions\/5159"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3861"},{"taxonomy":"research-group-tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research-group-tax?post=3861"},{"taxonomy":"primary-research-area","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kollinginstitute.org.au\/news_demo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/primary-research-area?post=3861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}