World Arthritis Day, referred to as WAD, is a global awareness day held every year on 12 October. WAD aims to help raise awareness in all audiences across the world of the existence and impact of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, often referred to as RMDs. WAD was initially established by Arthritis and Rheumatism International (ARI) in 1996. The debilitating effects of RMDs, of which more than 200 exist, are little known; their impact, however, is largely – and silently – felt.