Nearly a quarter of people in South Hams are living with joint, bone and muscle conditions, new figures show.

An arthritis charity warned "many people live with chronic pain on a daily basis", and called for more education on how to prevent and manage musculoskeletal issues.

Musculoskeletal conditions include common ailments like back or neck pain, and issues that impact the muscles, spine or joints, such as arthritis.

They are the leading cause of pain and disability in England, and account for one of the highest causes of sickness absence and productivity loss.

New NHS England figures show around 23.3% of people aged 16 and over in South Hams were living with musculoskeletal conditions in 2024.

This was above the average across England of 17.9%.

The figures also show people with musculoskeletal problems in South Hams were 1.6 times more likely than those without to suffer from a mental health condition last year.

Dr Wendy Holden, honorary consultant rheumatologist and Arthritis Action's medical advisor, said the "shocking" figures show "many people live with chronic pain on a daily basis", adding "it is no surprise that having chronic pain has an impact on mental health".

She warned the inefficiency of many medicines for musculoskeletal issues means "it is vital" for those with these conditions to learn how to take care of their wellbeing and mental health, saying "self-management is essential in a time of scarce resources".

She added: "Efforts should be focused on education to prevent and manage musculoskeletal conditions, especially weight loss and healthy eating support for osteoarthritis, as well as advice on exercise, which can significantly reduce pain and disability.

"Support to help people with musculoskeletal conditions remain in work and get back to work is also vital, as people who remain in work have better health outcomes.

"Improving people's physical wellbeing will also have a positive effect on mental health, wellbeing, longevity, reduced GP consultations and the economy."

The figures further show the prevalence and impact of musculoskeletal conditions are not experienced equally across the population.

Around 20% of women aged 16 and over in England were living with these issues last year, compared to just 15.6% of men.

And about 19.9% of those in the most deprived decile had musculoskeletal conditions, compared to 16.5% in the least deprived decile.

Mark Bowditch, president of the British Orthopaedic Association, said: "The impact of musculoskeletal conditions on daily life has long been overlooked by policymakers, who have understandably focused on mortality rates."

He added musculoskeletal issues impact people's ability to work as well as to take care of their families, adding the latter "traditionally largely fall to women", who are more affected by these problems, such as osteoporosis.

"In order to improve the lives of people with musculoskeletal conditions, the challenge for the Government is to both ensure we reduce the waiting for planned essential care, while also becoming better at preventing, identifying and managing musculoskeletal conditions in primary, community and secondary care settings," he said.

The Department of Health and Social Care were contacted for comment.