Our online community - it’s good to talk

Did you know we have an online community so that you can talk to other people like you who have arthritis?

Our online community is a safe online space where you’ll find useful information about living with arthritis. You can chat with others in a similar situation, ask any questions, share how you are feeling or tell others about any great daily life tips. Check out the living with arthritis area.

If you only want to look and read what others have posted, that’s fine too. The community is here for you to use how you want to.

It’s about people supporting each other

The online community is all about the people who take part, it’s your community and you can have the conversations you want to.

We have some people who’ll often dip in to the community when they need help or when they can help others. There’s a core group who contribute to threads on a daily or weekly basis. They might start threads or join in with other discussions to support other people by answering their questions. This is what I love about our community – it’s very diverse. 

You can talk about anything

You might feel you are the only one going through an experience, chances are though you are not alone.

We get a lot of conversations on drug treatments, mainly around side-effects and how to combat them. But there are also general discussions about diet, transport, travelling and surviving important occasions like birthdays.

Check out these forum areas about work and financial advice and celebrating 'triumphs'.

There’s a sense of shared understanding as if you live with arthritis, you know about flares, you know what exhaustion feels like and how the unpredictability of symptoms can make you miserable some days. These are things which can sometimes be difficult to explain to friends and family.

It’s safe space, open to all

Our community provides a safe and supportive space which is open to all. From people who have lived with arthritis for a few years to those who are newly diagnosed. As well as parents who have a child with arthritis and partners who want to find out more about their other half’s condition.

In our community, you can tell it how it is. Sometimes you might be saying you are fine to family and friends as you want to protect them, or you don’t want to upset them. When really you are not doing so well.

It does impact on all aspects of life, so remember to be kind to yourself and seek out support when you need it. That might be texting a friend, talking to your partner, accessing counselling or having a laugh, that’s therapeutic.

We’re here too

We’re here whenever you need us. If you want help, support or information, get in touch.

• Call our Helpline on 0800 5200 520 
• Talk to our arthritis virtual assistant, 24/7
• Join our online community
• Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.