Chronicles
15 September 2023
Osteoarticular and muscular disorders
FACTS TO KNOW ACCORDING TO THE WHO
Osteoarticular and muscular conditions and low back pain are the cause of disabilities in 160 countries.
Nearly 1.71 billion people worldwide suffer from osteoarticular and muscular conditions.
Osteoarticular and muscular problems impair mobility and dexterity and potentially lead early job retirement, an impairment of quality of life and well-being and a reduction in the ability to participate in society.
Demographic growth and the aging of populations influence the number of people suffering from osteo-articular and muscular conditions, this number continues to increase.
In many countries around the world, more than 50% of people do not receive the rehabilitation services they need. The countries and resources devoted to rehabilitation therefore remain too few. The growing number of people who do not have access to rehabilitation services generates complications at the individual and societal level. On an individual level, this leads to a worsening of the patient's condition, to other complications and lifelong consequences. On a societal level, these are generating costs in the health system linked to the resulting medical complications and also economic costs directly resulting from the loss of labor.
A WHO INITIATIVE TO CORRECT THE SITUATION
The Rehabilitation 2030 initiative launched by WHO aims to raise awareness in countries about the immense and unmet needs for rehabilitation care. This is meant to strengthen countries health systems so that they provide rehabilitation services. This initiative reflects a new strategic approach for health and consequently for rehabilitation therapists by emphasizing that:
''Rehabilitation should be available to the entire population and at all stages of life, particularly for all people with osteo-articular and muscular conditions...() Rehabilitation is an essential health service and is essential to achieve to universal health coverage.''
In this perspective, manual therapies will be called upon to contribute to this effort. Osteopaths, physiotherapists will be part of the solution.
The number of countries requesting technical support from WHO continues to increase. WHO has supported more than 20 countries in different regions of the world to strengthen their health systems to provide rehabilitation services?
To learn more about the Rehabilitation 2030 initiative, click here.
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(1) Cieza, A., Causey, K., Kamenov, K., Hanson, S. W., Chatterji, S., & Vos, T. (2020). Global estimates of the need for rehabilitation based on the Global Burden of Disease study 2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet, 396(10267), 2006-2017.
(2) Hartvigsen J, Hancock MJ, Kongsted A, et al. What low back pain is and why we need to pay attention. Lancet 2018; 391: 2356–67.