- Over a billion people are expected to suffer from musculoskeletal disorders by the year 2050.
- An approximate 115% increase in musculoskeletal disorder cases is predicted starting in 2020.
- Between 2020 and 2050, cases increased in the majority of areas by at least 50%.
Globally,over a billion people are expected to suffer from disorders of the joints, muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons, and spine by the year 2050, according to a recent study published in The Lancet Rheumatology.
An approximate 115% increase in musculoskeletal disorder cases is predicted starting in 2020, according to a study by The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in the United States. Between 2020 and 2050, cases increased in the majority of areas by at least 50%.
Musculoskeletal disorders
Physician Prateek Gupta of the Orthopaedic and Sports Med Centre with Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi, identified several factors, including aging, pollution, lifestyle choices, and an increase in immobility conditions, as contributing to the rise in bone and muscle problems. A balanced diet and frequent exercise to improve the lubricant in muscles and bones are preventive measures.
Co-first author Manasi Murthy Mittinty of Flinders University College of Medicine, Australia, emphasized the growing threat posed by musculoskeletal disorders as a major global source of disability.
She pointed out that more people will require healthcare by 2050 and beyond because they are living with additional musculoskeletal conditions, such as spondylopathies and systemic lupus erythematosus.
Musculoskeletal disorders are more common in women than in men, and they get worse as people age, with both genders experiencing a peak in their 65s and 70s. According to the study, women are estimated to have a 47% higher prevalence of these disorders than men in 204 countries and territories between 1990 and 2020.
