Nearly 1.2 million UK adults receive support for health conditions, with payments ranging from £116.80 to £749.80 every four weeks
People suffering from a wide range of muscular and joint issues could be eligible for extra financial support. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has unveiled the latest figures, showing that nearly 1.2 million adults across the UK are currently receiving support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for over 85 musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions.
Musculoskeletal conditions refer to injuries and disorders that affect the human body’s movement or musculoskeletal system, including muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, discs, and blood vessels. Arthritis is a broad term that includes many of these different conditions, with common examples being osteoarthritis, back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, gout, polymyalgia rheumatica, lupus, and ankylosing spondylitis.
If you are aged 16 or above and below State Pension age, you might be able to claim PIP to help with a musculoskeletal condition. If your ability to work is limited due to your symptoms, you could qualify for ‘new style’ Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), reports the Daily Record.
A successful claim for PIP can now provide between £29.20 and £187.45 per week in additional financial support. Given that the benefit is paid every four weeks, this equates to between £116.80 and £749.80 each pay period.
The average processing time for new PIP claims stands at 15 weeks. This means applications submitted this month could be processed – with back payments issued – by the end of January.
As for PIP claimants with musculoskeletal conditions, the latest data reveals that at the end of July, over one million people were receiving support through PIP for such conditions. Here is a list of 87 musculoskeletal conditions being supported through PIP to assist with either daily living, mobility needs or a combination of both components.
It’s important to note that this list is not exhaustive, so if your condition does not appear, don’t be deterred from making a claim. An award for PIP is about how the condition affects you, not the condition itself.
Musculoskeletal conditions – general
Osteoarthritis
- Osteoarthritis of hip
- Osteoarthritis of knee
- Osteoarthritis of other single joint
- Primary generalised Osteoarthritis
Chronic pain syndrome
- Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
- Fibromyalgia
- Pain syndromes – Chronic – Other / type not known
Inflammatory arthritis
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Arthritis – Psoriatic
- Arthritis – Reactive
- Inflammatory arthritis – Other / type not known
- Juvenile chronic arthritis (Still’s disease)
- Rheumatoid arthritis
Crystal deposition disorders
- Crystal deposition disorders – Other / type not known
- Gout
- Pseudogout
Osteonecrosis and osteochondritis
- Osteochondritis
- Osteonecrosis
Metabolic and endocrine disorders
- Osteomalacia
- Osteoporosis
- Other metabolic and endocrine disorders of musculoskeletal system
- Paget’s disease
- Rickets
Genetic disorders, dysplasias and malformations
- Achondroplasia
- Epiphyseal dysplasia – multiple
- Genetic disorders, dysplasias and malformations – Other / type not known
- Hereditary multiple exostosis (diaphyseal aclasis)
- Hypermobility syndrome
- Marfan’s syndrome
- Osteogenesis imperfecta
Benign tumours of bone
Fracture complications
- Compartment syndrome (Volkmann’s ischaemia)
- Fracture complications – Other / type not known
- Sudek’s atrophy
Other generalised musculoskeletal conditions
- Generalised musculoskeletal disease – Other / type not known
Musculoskeletal conditions – regional
Shoulder disorders
- Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder)
- Rotator cuff disorder
- Shoulder disorders – Other / type not known
- Shoulder instability
Elbow disorders
- Elbow disorders – Other / type not known
- Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis)
- Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
Wrist and hand disorders
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Dupuytren’s contracture
- Tendon lesions
- Tenosynovitis
- Wrist and hand disorders – Other / type not known
Neck disorders
- Cervical disc lesion
- Cervical spondylosis
- Neck disorders – Other / type not known
- Whiplash injury
Non-specific back pain
- Back pain – Non-specific (mechanical)
Specific back pain
- Back pain – Specific – Other / type not known
- Kyphosis
- Lumbar disc lesion
- Lumbar spondylosis (OA spine)
- Schuermann’s disease
- Scoliosis
- Spinal stenosis
- Spondylolisthesis
Hip disorders
- Dislocation of the hip – congenital
- Hip disorders – Other / type not known
- Perthes disease
- Slipped upper femoral epiphysis
Knee disorders
- Bursitis
- Chondromalacia patellae
- Knee disorders – Other / type not known
- Ligamentous instability of knee
- Meniscal lesions
- Osgood-Schlatter’s disease
- Osteochondritis dissecans
- Patellar dislocation – Recurrent
Ankle and foot disorders
- Ankle and foot disorders – Other / type not known
- Club foot (talipes)
- Fore foot pain (Metatarsalgia)
- Hallux valgus /rigidus
Amputations
- Amputation – Lower limb(s)
- Amputation – Upper limb(s)
- Amputations – Upper & Lower limb/s
Injuries/fracture/Dislocation
- Abdomen – Injuries/Fracture/Dislocation of
- Lower limb – Injuries/Fracture/Dislocation of
- Multiple – Injuries/Fracture/Dislocation
- Pelvis – Injuries/Fracture/Dislocation of
- Spine – Injuries/Fracture/Dislocation of
- Thorax – Injury/Fracture/Dislocation of
- Upper limb – Injury/Fracture/Dislocation of
Other regional musculoskeletal disease
- Musculoskeletal disease – Regional / Localised – Other / type not known
