Online searches for arthritis symptoms increase among UK residents

Reviewed by Danielle Ellis, B.Sc.Oct 4 2021

Online searches for symptoms of arthritis and osteoarthritis increase with residents throughout the UK.

As National Arthritis Week approaches, B-Cure Laser by Good Energies have released findings from a study of health issues that are seeing notable spikes in Google search traffic in 2021.

The highest searches in the category came around ‘arthritis symptoms’ with a total of 14,800 across the UK. Followed by ‘osteoarthritis symptoms’ at 6,600 searches, ‘arthritis signs’ at 2,400 searches, and ‘arthritis help’ at 590 searches, as the decrease in physical activity throughout the COVID-19 pandemic begins to show possible implications.

As restrictions eased through the summer though and people started to return to their GPs and support once again became accessible, there was a 41% decrease in people searching for ‘arthritis help’, from 1,000 searches to 560 year-on-year.

Good Energies launched its laser-powered pain relief device for at-home treatment earlier this year in the UK and has delved into more than 70 key terms covering both mental health and physical pain problems. More than 760,000 searches were conducted over the past 12 months relating to arthritis, fibromyalgia, and the menopause, as well as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and autism.

UK manager of B-Cure Laser, Itay Avni said: “As we approach National Arthritis Week in October, we wanted to understand the health problems of the nation. By exploring people’s concerns, both from a mental health and physical health viewpoint, we have been able to see clear areas that are troubling UK residents, including clear increases in arthritis related concerns.”

Following a challenging 18 months for our society and COVID-19 concerns causing increased anxiety about visiting GPs offices, it’s no surprise that people are turning to the internet to self-diagnose. While the internet will provide many useful guidelines on healthcare topics and staying fit for longer, we’d still advise anyone that has concerns for their wellbeing to seek help from a professional.”

Itay Avni, UK Manager, B-Cure Laser

The highest searches in the UK per capita came around ‘anxiety symptoms’ (165.04 per 100,000 people), ‘menopause symptoms’ (135.78) and ‘depression symptoms’ (111.03). Also on the list was fibromyalgia, a disorder which is which is associated with widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, sleep, memory, and mood issues. There were 40,500 total searches for ‘fibromyalgia symptoms’.

Earlier this year, the B-Cure Laser team also revealed the results of a Pain Survey of UK adults, which revealed that the UK population spends an anticipated £1.14bn (£1,140,633,600) on pain treatments every month.

While 75% of respondents acknowledged they were happy with their current pain treatments, 25% said they either weren’t content or did not use treatments. A total of 54% of respondents said they manage their ailments through painkillers (34% via over-the-counter painkillers and 20% through prescribed painkillers), while 10% and 7% claimed they had turned to alcohol and recreational drugs respectively to ease their suffering.

The survey showed that more than a quarter of the UK (26%) experiences pain at least once a month, with one in five claiming they have trouble sleeping because of their pain.

Lower back pain, which accounts for 40% of pain across the UK, was most prevalent in Swansea, where 64% of residents reported difficulties, with the city that reported the most serious pain being Worcester, where 27% of people were really struggling – that pain really stacks up when you hear that £98.59 is spent on average each month on pain relief by Worcester residents.