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HEALTH BY STEALTH
Meggen Lowry, Martin Ong’wen, Jack Chew, Joost van Wijchen and Ruth Septhon, members of the WHIS MSK Expert Group.
TACKLING MSKD-RELATED DISABILITY THROUGH INTEGRATED COMMUNITY ACTIVITY As the primary cause of disability on the planet, musculoskeletal disorders (MSKDs) present an urgent and growing challenge to healthcare systems everywhere. An umbrella term used to describe conditions that affect the joints, bones, tissues, muscles and nervous system, MSKDs include conditions like osteoarthritis, back pain, fibromyalgia and chronic pain. Deep health inequalities exist due to factors such as gender, ethnicity and income, and global MSK health services are facing a mammoth task owing to the backlog of patients post-Covid. In order to reduce the impact of MSKDs, collective communities need to focus on inclusive designs so as to be able to deliver solutions that facilitate everyone’s journey to joint health & wellbeing.
BENJAMIN WILKINS WHIS MSK Expert Group VIEW CONTRIBUTOR’S BIO
MSKDs are more than an ‘ache in your knee’ or a ‘twinge in your back’. Globally, they contribute to 17% of all Years Lived in Disability, more than any other health condition. With over $100 billion in healthcare costs each year, and up to five times that lost to sick leave and reduced productivity, the economic case for solutions is clear. But the greatest toll of MSKDs is the daily impact they have on people’s lives. Patients suffer the inability to work without pain, loss of independence due to reduced mobility, early retirement, premature entry into care facilities, inability to spend time with friends and family… And critically, the emotional and mental anguish that results from these challenges, often leading to depression and significantly lower quality of life. In addition to their direct impact, MSKDs are often a gateway to increased risk of developing other long-term health conditions (LTHCs). Back pain, the main contributor to the MSKD burden, can lead to the development of additional MSKDs and LTHCs. Non-specific back pain is just one example of an ‘upstream’ condition that can have significant ‘downstream’ health costs and life impact; resultant sedentary behaviour, increase cardiovascular risk, muscular atrophy (sarcopenia), increased falls risk, lost mobility and independence, social isolation and requiring extensive ongoing treatment and social care. This is why early intervention and accessible selfmanagement are so critical to reduce worsening downstream costs - both financial and personal.
