This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

US Bone and Joint Initiative estimates musculoskeletal conditions cost $213 billion

Add topic to email alerts

Receive an email when new articles are posted on

Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on .

Subscribe

Added to email alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

Back to Healio

We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.

Back to Healio

The U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative estimates 126.6 Americans — about one in two adults — are affected by a musculoskeletal condition, at a cost of about $213 billion in treatment, care and lost wages, according to a report published by the organization.

“This report provides the critical data needed to understand the magnitude of the problem, and the burden, of musculoskeletal disease in our country,” David Pisetsky, MD, U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative (USBJI) president, and professor of medicine and immunology at Duke University Medical School, said in a press release. “The number of visits to physicians for these disorders, the cost of treating them, and the indirect costs associated with pain and loss of mobility, are proportionately much higher than the resources currently being allocated to combat these conditions and injuries.”

According to the release, arthritis is the most common cause of disability and affects 51.8 million — or half of adults over 65 years of age — in the United States. With a largely aging population, the report projects arthritis to increase to 25% of the population by 2030, while two-thirds of arthritis patients are currently under age 65 years. Back and neck pain are estimated to affect one in three Americans, or 75.7 million adults. Further, osteoporosis is estimated by the report to affect 10 million Americans, with up to 19 million Americans — mostly women — at risk for osteoporosis, and a higher rate of fracture and fracture-related mortality.

“As a nation, we need to establish greater funding for musculoskeletal research, improve our understanding and strategies for prevention and treatment of these injuries and conditions, and ensure that more adults and children receive appropriate treatment sooner, and on an ongoing basis, to ensure quality of life and productivity,” Stuart L. Weinstein, MD, co-chair of the report’s Steering Committee and a professor of orthopedics and rehabilitation at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, said in the release. – by Shirley Pulawski

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.