Healthcare services worldwide will face severe social and financial pressures in the next 20 years because of the escalation in the number of people affected by musculoskeletal injury and disorders. Bone and joint disorders account for more than 50 percent of all chronic conditions in people older than 50 years of age in developing countries and are the most common cause of severe, long-term pain and disability. In developing nations, people of a younger age sustain these disabilities more often as a result of accidents and wars; 15 million injuries occur each year in accidents or through armed conflict. The financial cost in both developed and developing countries continues to escalate.

In the United States:
Musculoskeletal conditions cost our society more than $250 billion per year. One out of every seven Americans has a musculoskeletal impairment in function. More than 50 percent of all injuries are to the musculoskeletal system. 46 million people have arthritis and that number will increase to more than 60 million by 2020. 50 percent of women and 13 percent of men older than age 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime. Sprains, dislocations, and fractures account for nearly 65 percent of all musculoskeletal injuries, which can frequently lead to post-traumatic osteoarthritis. Costs of osteoporotic-related fractures will double in the next 50 years unless prevention and treatment strategies are initiated; two-thirds of people who have a hip fracture do not return to their pre-fracture level of functioning, and one in six Caucasian women will have a hip fracture in their lifetime. Each year, musculoskeletal conditions and injuries account for more than 157 million visits to doctors’ offices, more than 25 million hospital outpatient visits, and more than 29 million emergency department visits. More than seven million musculoskeletal procedures are performed by physicians annually. Musculoskeletal disabilities will increase dramatically over the next 20 years as they are most prevalent in older segments of the population - and we all are aging. By 2030, one in five Americans will be age 65 or over.

Preventing Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. It causes pain, swelling, and reduced motion in your joints. It can occur in any joint, but usually it affects your hands, knees, hips, or spine.

OA affects nearly 21 million people in the United States and accounts for 25 percent of visits to primary care physicians and about half of all non steroidal inflammatory drug prescriptions.

Osteoarthritis breaks down the cartilage in your joints. Cartilage is the slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones in a joint. Healthy cartilage absorbs the shock of movement. When you lose cartilage, your bones rub together. Over time, this rubbing can permanently damage the joint.

Factors that may cause osteoarthritis include:

Being overweight
Getting older
Injuring a joint

Research teams at the Bone & Joint Injury Prevention & Rehabilitation Center are focusing on ways to prevent those injuries that can lead to OA and degenerative joint disease, and on treatment and therapies that can repair injuries and minimize the onset of OA years after treatment.

For more information on their studies see:

Riann Palmieri Smith, Ph.D., ATC