Study: Maintained musculoskeletal mobility is associated with higher annual income
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Key takeaways:
- Patients with maintained mobility had higher annual incomes and longer working years compared with patients who lost mobility.
- Interventions and regular exercise may exhibit a meaningful “return on investment.”
Exercise and musculoskeletal interventions may demonstrate a meaningful “return on investment,” as patients with maintained mobility have higher annual incomes and longer working years, according to published results.
Researchers used income and health data from the Health and Retirement Study to analyze the relationship between household income and mobility, as defined by a 6-point index of walking impairment, from a cohort of 19,430 adults who were assessed in 2016.
Researchers also analyzed a cohort of 1,094 adults from the year 2000 and compared differences in income and working rates between those who maintained or lost mobility after 10 years. Additionally, researchers analyzed a cohort of 7,063 adults aged 60 to 80 years in 2012 and compared differences between exercise rate and mobility after 4 years.
Researchers found a drop in one level of mobility was associated with a $3,410 reduction in annual household income. They found adults who maintained mobility after 10 years had an annual household income that was $6,500 higher than adults who were not working due to loss of mobility. They also noted 40% of adults who maintained mobility were working after 10 years, whereas 34.5% of adults who lost mobility were still working at this time point. Regular exercise at least once per week was associated with higher mobility scores after 4 years, according to the study.
“Orthopedic surgeons now have strong evidence that musculoskeletal interventions not only improve quality of life but are also associated with prominent economic benefits,” the researchers wrote in the study.
“Interventions that improve mobility may have high returns on investment for both patients and society,” they concluded.
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