County Antrim is out of joint...

County Antrim comes third in the top five areas with the highest average joint age making it one of the worst areas in the UK for joint health, according to the figures from Seven Seas Jointcare.

The regional data collected from the 13,000 users from across 56 counties who completed the Seven Seas Joint Age Calculator online assessment tool highlights the urgent need for people in County Antrim to start taking better care of their joints, say those behing the study.

And it would seem County Antrim is not alone as poor joint health is becoming an increasing issue for the UK as a whole.

There are currently over 70,000 knee replacements carried out every year in the UK but experts predict a staggering 700% increase by 2030.

Leading osteopath and co-creator of the Seven Seas Joint Age Calculator, Torben Hersborg said: “Every day in my clinic I see both the consequences of years of neglect and of people taking their joints for granted. These statistics are concerning because when we talk about joint pain – we are talking about individuals and their ability and freedom to live independently. The good news is that the majority of these problems are preventable.”

Existing data research from the Seven Seas Joint Age Calculator also shows that joint problems are no longer just an issue for older people. As a population, joint health is seriously neglected in the UK particularly among the 25-34 age group:

On average under 25s have a joint age which is about double that of their own, adding on approximately 23 years. Nearly two fifths of 25-34 year olds had a joint age of over 50

80% of this age group have some sort of joint concern including having joints that ache, twinge or cause pain at least once a month (39% on a daily basis)

Despite this, two thirds (66%) admit that they don’t actively look after their joints

A quarter (26%) confess to spending more money and time on hair appointments than their joint health

Other risk factors such as being overweight add an additional five years to joint age and with latest government figures showing almost a quarter of us are now clinically obese4 it is unsurprising that GPs report obesity as the second most common reason for joint health problems

Regardless of age or health needs, Seven Seas Jointcare offers a range of tailored nutritional support designed to help maintain supple, flexible and healthy joints. View the full research at life.seven-seas.com or visit www.jointagecalculator.co.uk to find out your joint age.