Given that they hold us upright, carry us around and take a not inconsiderable amount of stress and strain, it is unsurprising that bones, joints and muscles can and do go wrong, and that, when they do, it matters. The term ‘musculoskeletal conditions’ includes the ills that affect these parts, such as arthritis of all kinds, soft-tissue rheumatism, osteoporosis (bone-thinning) and back pain.

While we all lose some bone as we age, the osteoporosis which affects half of all women over 50 and one in five men of this age accounts for a huge toll of fractures, including those of the hip and spine, and can also lead to height loss.

More than 7 million adults in the UK (15 per cent of the population) have long-term health problems due to arthritis and about 200 related conditions. The word arthritis means inflammation of the joints, while rheumatism is even more general and describes aches and pains in bones, muscles and joints.

Turning to our muscles, there are about 60 different types of muscular dystrophy and related neuromuscular conditions, characterised by loss of strength as muscles progressively waste or nerves deteriorate. The conditions are mainly inherited, can cause shortened life expectancy and are currently incurable. They affect boys, girls, men and women of all ages, across all ethnic groups, often more than once in one family, and about 60,000 people in the UK currently have them.