Common musculoskeletal conditions

Abstract

The Global Burden of Disease study identified musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions as the largest single cause of years lived with disability. MSK medicine and rehabilitation services worldwide are heterogeneous in nature in terms of patient pathway and involvement of various healthcare professionals. The service can be led by consultants in different medical specialties; in primary care by General Practitioners with a special interest in MSK disorders and in secondary care by rheumatologists, orthopaedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, pain specialists, rehabilitation and MSK physicians. Allied health professionals such as physiotherapists and extended scope practitioners now have a far greater role in managing MSK conditions in some countries such as the UK.