Key issues
MSK conditions are not experienced equally across the population, leading to inequalities. There are differences by age, gender, ethnicity, and deprivation. There are also factors that make someone more susceptible to a MSK condition and other chronic diseases e.g., being overweight, lack of physical inactivity, smoking, and a diet deficient in vitamin D or calcium. These risk factors also affect some groups disproportionately.
As well as causing pain and disability, MSK conditions can impact on the quality of life of people affected by them. These conditions can affect a person’s ability to work, sleep and carry out the normal everyday tasks they enjoy. Data for 2016/17 shows that the average health related quality of life score for adults in England who reported a long-term MSK problem was lower than people with no long-term conditions or other long-term conditions.
Access to good quality work is beneficial to health, but being in poor health can impact on a person's access to work. Poor MSK health can be a barrier to someone participating in the workplace and lead to inequalities. Published data suggests:
- People with MSK conditions are less likely to be in employment (62% vs 81% of those with no long-term conditions). In real terms, this means that almost 2 million people are out of work (unemployed or economically inactive) due to a long-term health condition where the main issue is MSK.
- MSK conditions are the second most common cause of sickness absence behind minor illnesses (e.g., coughs and colds). In 2022 there were 23.4 million days lost to sickness absence due to MSK conditions. There are also inequalities in MSK sickness rates by gender and the type of work someone does.
There are also considerable direct and indirect costs associated with MSK conditions:
- Direct costs - People with MSK conditions can be frequent users of healthcare, leading to the third largest area of NHS spend. This is an estimated £5 billion a year (based 2014 modelling, so may be an under-estimate). There were almost 30 million prescriptions dispensed for MSK conditions in 2020, costing over £170 million. The annual costs of hip fractures alone are estimated to be over £2 billion (health and social care costs are combined), and this includes over 4 million hospital bed days.
- Indirect costs –It is estimated that the wider annual costs from MSK conditions are around £100 billion (e.g. social care costs, lost productivity, and sickness absence).
Good MSK health is a key feature of healthy ageing. However, the prevalence of MSK conditions is likely to increase as our population ages and the percentage of people experiencing some of the key risk factors also increases. This means that preventing MSK conditions and reducing the impact will become even more important to prevent a further increase of the burden of these conditions.