NATIONAL BONE AND JOINT WEEK TUESDAY 12th OCTOBER – WEDNESDAY 20th OCTOBER…

National Bone and Joint Week takes place on the 12th October – 20th October – The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance explain about National Bone and Joint Week – “Every October, Bone and Joint Week helps get people thinking about one of the most widespread and pressing health issues of our times – musculoskeletal health. Now more than ever, good musculoskeletal health helps our wellbeing get back on track. As we rebuild our activity and how we work, eat and feel, having the best musculoskeletal health helps us live better. After more than a year of uncertainly, stress, inactivity, gym and swimming pool closures, weight gain and changed routines, many struggle with their physical and mental health.”

Supporting good musculoskeletal health facilitates better health and wellbeing for individuals, life goals, work, helps communities thrive, advances equality, can help painful conditions, reduces disability, helping people move more and keep well mentally.

Everyone can get involved in Bone and Joint Week, especially if you look after a community. It’s a social media-led campaign using #BoneJointWeek, so getting involved is easy, with daily infographics that can be retweeted, blogs and vlogs to share. Find out more from The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance website here.

Some bone and joint week facts from USA Bone & Joint Initiative.

• More than half the American population over the age of 18 – 54 percent – are affected by musculoskeletal (bone and joint) conditions, according to The Burden of Musculoskeletal Conditions in the United States.⁽¹⁾
• One in three (33%) people over the age of 18 required medical care for a musculoskeletal condition in each of the years 2009 to 2011, a 19% increase over the last decade.⁽²⁾
• Bone and joint conditions are the most common cause of severe long-term pain and physical disability worldwide affecting hundreds of millions of people.⁽³⁾
• Musculoskeletal conditions include back pain, arthritis, traumatic injuries, osteoporosis, spinal deformity, and childhood conditions.
• The global prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions is predicted to increase greatly due to increasing life expectancy and changes in risk factors unless new treatments and preventive measures are found.
• Musculoskeletal conditions can lead to significant disability plus diminished productivity and quality of life. Treatment and lost wage costs associated with musculoskeletal diseases in the U.S. alone was estimated at $874 billion in 2009 to 2011 – equal to 5.73 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).⁽²⁾
• Research funding is currently less than 2 percent of the National Institutes of Health annual budget, and continues to decline each year despite the high costs associated with injuries, arthritis, and back pain.
• Since 2011, when “Baby Boomers” became beneficiaries of Medicare, the economic and societal cost of bone and joint health escalated and is expected to continue for decades.

Source: Bone & Joint Initiative, Arthritis & Musculoskeletal Alliance,