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The rising number of people ­waiting for physiotherapy treatment is causing problems in other parts of the NHS and harming the UK’s economy, leading clinicians have warned. Waiting lists for treatment for ­musculoskeletal (MSK) problems such as back, neck and knee pain have grown by 27% since January last year. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) said the number of physiotherapy posts in the NHS was not keeping pace with demand from Britain’s ageing and increasingly obese population.

The CSP said the UK needed a 7% increase in NHS physiotherapy positions every year to meet rising demand. Musculoskeletal conditions that are left untreated can become more complex and lead to mental health problems or the need for surgery, as well as time off work. The latest NHS community health service figures show 323,965 people were waiting for musculoskeletal treatment in March, a year-on-year rise of 33,257 or 11%, and 27% higher than the 254,521 people waiting in January 2023.



Rishi Sunak last month accused Britain of having a “sicknote culture”, with 2.8 million working-age people classed as economically inactive. Ministers have focused on rising mental ill health, claiming that doctors are “overmedicalising” conditions while also floating a plan to cut benefits for 420,000 sick and disabled people .

However, more people are living with chronic pain , according to the Health Foundation. Google searches about pain reached their highest ever levels in the UK earlier .

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