ESCAPE-pain

Yes, everyone attending ESCAPE-pain will have a clinical diagnosis of osteoarthritis in one or both of their hips or knees, and/or be in chronic pain in one or both of their hips or knees.

Some people think that being more active will increase their pain, but after 1-2 sessions you will learn that exercise isn't painful, and start to feel the benefits – be better able to do the exercises, feel more confident and more in control.

Physical activity benefits anyone at any age. It's never too late to become more active.

No. To prolong the life of a joint you need to be physically active. Strong, well-coordinated muscles are a necessity, not a luxury. They protect your joint and can delay, even prevent, pain and disability, maintaining your independence and dignity.

The course facilitator will work with you encouraging you to try to do as many exercises as you can, taking rest in between. The facilitator will work with you to make you more comfortable and confident in your abilities and to progress on the exercises that you do each session.

We oversee the delivery of the programme and provide training to healthcare providers who are interested in running classes. We aren't a healthcare provider and therefore are unable to give you specific advice on your condition.

We generally advise that if you have other medical conditions that prevent you from taking part in exercise programmes (such as unstable heart conditions, severe angina, blood pressure, your doctor has recently been altering your medication, you often fall or exercise makes you very breathless very soon after you begin to exercise), you should seek advice from your GP, nurse or other healthcare practitioner.

In order to make sure the programme continues to be successful, you'll be asked to complete some questionnaires about your pain and management during your first class. You'll also be asked to complete questionnaires again at the end of the 6-week programme. This information is useful to see how much progress you have made, and to keep track of how ESCAPE-pain is helping people.

Please be sure to wear some loose-fitting clothing and comfortable shoes, and bring along a water bottle (you will be completing some exercise circuits), and reading glasses (if required).

ESCAPE-pain is unlikely to completely remove any pain in your hips and knees. It helps people understand their condition, teaches them simple things they can help themselves with, and takes them through a progressive exercise programme so they learn how to cope with pain better.

ESCAPE-pain is fully funded for eligible participants.

ESCAPE-pain groups are closed cohorts meaning participants aren't typically invited to attend after a group has begun. If this is the case, you will usually be offered a place on a future cohort.

ESCAPE-pain's age inclusion criteria is for guidance, not an absolute and is in line with NICE guidelines which describe the key features of OA to be those who:

• are 45 or over and
• have activity-related joint pain and
• have either no morning joint-related stiffness or morning stiffness that lasts no longer than 30 minutes.

(NICE: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng226).

Exceptions can be made if you are under 45, but in these cases, it would be advisable for your symptoms to be assessed by a medical professional first. All prospective participants under 45 that want to attend ESCAPE-pain will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria.

Yes, if you've had knee and/or hip pain for longer than 3 months but haven't been diagnosed with Osteoarthritis, you can still attend the ESCAPE-pain programme.