NATIONAL BONE AND JOINT WEEK 12th-20th OCTOBER, 2022…

NATIONAL BONE AND JOINT WEEK – 12^th – 20^th October – Bone and Joint Action Week are held annually from October 12-20 with activities focused on disorders including arthritis, back pain, trauma, pediatric conditions, and osteoporosis. The themes and their related activities are designed to raise awareness worldwide about prevention, disease management and treatment.

They say that every year one in five people consult their GP with a bone, joint or muscular-skeletal problem. And while a bad back or stiff hips may be a sign of old age, these conditions can affect people of all ages, including children.

The health of our bones, joints, and muscles is important, and how we approach exercise and fitness has a major impact on our long-term health. If you take care of your joints, you’ll avoid injuries.

This national action week focuses on raising awareness about prevention, disease management and treatment for arthritis, back pain, trauma, pediatric conditions, and osteoporosis.

A little bit of history about the National Bone and Joint Week from National Today. In 2002 Arthritis became a cover story “Time” magazine published a cover story entitled “The Coming Epidemic of Arthritis.” In 2004 the “U.S. Surgeon General issued Bone Health Report. The American Surgeon General released a report on osteoporosis and bone health during the Decade’s National Awareness Week.” In 2009 ” Bones and Joint Decade professionals met in Washington, D.C. The Bones and Joint Decade Annual Global Meeting assembled for the first meeting of its kind to gather influencers from the United States and 50 other countries to discuss musculoskeletal conditions.” By 2010 ” The Majority of medical schools required joint and bone instruction. Most American medical schools required their students to take instruction or perform a clerkship in musculoskeletal disorders.” finally in October 2012 “The World Pediatric Bones and Joint Day launched and the first World Pediatric Bones and Joint Day kicked off with a theme exploring Vitamin D deficiency in children.”

The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance say “Let’s take action on #MSKEquality – For some people in the UK there are still unfair and avoidable inequalities in their musculoskeletal health and in their access to and experiences of health services. Poorer MSK health affects more women than men. It affects more people with lower income. It affects more people living in deprivation. It disproportionately affects some ethnic groups. It affects young people. It affects older people. And the challenges in the cost of living may deepen health inequalities.”

It is their ambition to reduce health inequalities in musculoskeletal health. They say “We can drive change by listening to and focussing on the most excluded communities so that there is equity in access, experiences and outcomes. We can drive change by working in partnership. Let’s take action to increase MSK health equality.” Head over to the AMA website for more details and how you can help.

Source: National Today IAB Health Productions The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance