Musculoskeletal Diseases: Leading Cause of Disability and Health Care Cost

§         Musculoskeletal diseases are the most common health condition in the United States.

v      Estimated U.S. cost for treatment of all persons with a musculoskeletal disease diagnosis and indirect lost wages was $849 billion annually for the years 2002 to 2004, 7.7% of the gross domestic product.[1] 

v      The aging boomer generation, persons aged 45 to 64, accounts for an increasingly greater proportion of total musculoskeletal disease treatment cost and lost wages, a trend that will continue for the next several decades.

v      One in two adults reported a chronic musculoskeletal condition in 2005, twice the rate of reported chronic circulatory (heart condition) or respiratory conditions.[2]

§         Musculoskeletal diseases are frequent cause for seeking medical care.[3]

v      More than 30% of Americans require medical care because of a musculoskeletal disease.

v      Back pain accounted for more than 53 million health care visits in 2004.

v      Arthritis accounted for more than 44 million ambulatory care visits and 1 million hospitalizations in 2004.

v      Musculoskeletal injuries accounted for more than 57 million health care visits in 2004, 60% of all injury treatment visits.

§         Musculoskeletal diseases are a major cause of disability and lost work time.

v      15 million adults, 7% of the adult U.S. population, report difficulty performing routine activities of daily living due to a musculoskeletal condition. Nearly one-half are between the ages of 45 and 64.²

v      Back pain was the cause of 313.5 million bed days and 186.7 million lost work days in 2004.²

v      Musculoskeletal disorders for work-related injuries account for one-third of days away from work.[4]

v      One in two women and one in four men over the age of 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in his or her remaining lifetime. Hip fractures are associated with chronic pain, reduced mobility, and increasing dependence, with a 20% mortality rate in the first 12 months.[5]

v      Although less frequent, millions of children and adults suffer from spinal deformities, musculoskeletal congenital conditions, and cancers of bone and connective tissue, reducing quality of life and longevity.