Tarka Leisure launches musculoskeletal rehabilitation programme

Tarka Leisure has launched a new exercise-based rehabilitation programme as part of a two-year research project to help improve access to musculoskeletal care in the community.

The project is led by a health and fitness consortium comprising Good Boost, ukactive, Orthopaedic Research UK, ESCAPE-pain and Arthritis Action, and aims to investigate how to transform leisure facilities into musculoskeletal (MSK) hubs which can be accessed in every community.

Over 20 million people in the UK suffer from an MSK condition, which accounts for the third largest area of NHS spend at £5bn annually. The consortium aims to design a system-based approach to better integrate leisure facilities within the nation’s healthcare infrastructure, turning them into a locally accessible network of community ‘MSK hubs’.

The aim is to reduce health inequalities and the burden on the NHS by providing local, supported, self-management options for people to better maintain mobility, physical function and reduce pain through exercise.

The programme available is:

• Good Boost is an aqua and land-based exercise rehabilitation programme that uses A.I. technology to assess individual conditions and create tailored exercise programmes. These sessions are delivered as group sessions to aid social support, whilst enabling individuals to benefit from a personalised exercise plan.

Tarka Leisure is also running coffee mornings to support individuals living with arthritis. Hosted in partnership with UK charity Arthritis Action, the free sessions are open to anyone with the condition and provide advice on leading more active lives, pain management and other activities available at the centre.

Participants of the Good Boost sessions at Tarka Leisure have experienced a number of benefits since it’s launch and have shared the following:

“It’s a safe space. Sessions are totally personalised to you, so you don’t feel embarrassed about where you’re at. You start at your level.”

“I’ve only done 2 classes and for the first time in 7 months I haven’t got pain in my hip.”

Glen Hall, Managing Director of Parkwood Leisure, said: “We’re incredibly proud to be a part of this project and we believe that there is a huge opportunity for leisure facilities to improve access to healthcare provision and help ease the burden on the NHS.

“Working with our partners, we strive to provide everyone within our local communities with the facilities and support needed to encourage healthy and active lifestyles; the launch of Good Boost, ESCAPE-pain and the Arthritis Action coffee mornings takes this even further, and we hope to expand the roll-out across even more sites in due course.”

Ellie Wilson-Hird, Fitness manager at Tarka Leisure who also manages and delivers the programme said: “I am so proud of how the Good Boost sessions have taken off at Tarka. We have been inundated with referrals and it shows how beneficial the programme will be for the local community. It’s wonderful to hear the difference these sessions are having on an individual's physical and mental wellbeing and ultimately on their life. To go from meeting with someone really struggling, to seeing them thrive in a session, is the best feeling in the world.”

For further information, please visit then MSK hub information page on our website - www.leisurecentre.com/msk