Why have musculoskeletal problems been selected as the focus for the Decade?
Across the world, musculoskeletal conditions affect hundreds of millions of people, at a huge cost to society. · Worldwide, musculoskeletal conditions are the most common causes of severe long-term pain and physical disability. · Aging populations throughout the developed world will result in significant increases in musculoskeletal conditions, with attendant increases in costs to those countries. · Joint diseases account for half of all chronic conditions in the elderly. · Forty percent of all women over the age of 50 years are expected to suffer at least one osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime. · Throughout the world, musculoskeletal conditions and deformities deprive children of a normal development. · Road traffic injuries are increasing precipitously, and by the year 2010, are estimated to account for as much as 25% of all health care expenditures in developing nations. · In the United States alone, musculoskeletal conditions are a leading cause of disability, accounting for m
