This issue of AJGP examines musculoskeletal conditions – how these cause pain and how to manage the multitude of ways in which these impairments affect the lives of our patients.

This article describes an approach to the assessment and management of the common presentations of acute cervical spine pain.

Pain due to musculoskeletal conditions is difficult to express and define and is often overlooked in consultations.

Noncardiac chest pain is a cause of significant morbidity and can be responsible for a high personal cost and healthcare burden.

The symptom burden and care needs for patients with end-stage, non-malignant illnesses are similar to those of patients with advanced cancer.

The warm Australian climate and outdoor living pose a unique clinical profile for foot burns, with burn injury mechanisms varying across seasons and within patient subgroups.

This article describes the pathophysiology of pelvic congestion syndrome and outlines the symptomatology, the most efficient diagnostic pathway and the optimal treatment methods.

This article investigates the prevalence of chronic pain in a rural setting and the use of specialist pain clinics and examines factors associated with well-managed pain.

This article aims to improve general practitioners’ knowledge of a specific group of exercise-related conditions that occur in the shin region.

Buprenorphine–naloxone is well tolerated by patients with chronic pain, and has the potential to improve pain scores and affective symptoms.

The primary care physician plays a pivotal part in the identification and management of idiopathic frozen shoulder, with the vast majority of patients responding to conservative management.

Cancer pain is one of the most common and problematic symptoms faced in palliative care.

This study assesses the influence of baseline body mass index and baseline knee pain on improvements in patients participating in a weight loss program for knee osteoarthritis.

General practitioners should be aware that physical activity might exacerbate symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy when encouraging their patients to be active.

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition defined as endometrial-like tissue proliferating outside the uterus. This paper summarises recommendations for diagnosing and managing endometriosis.