Nicolas E. Walsh, MD, professor and chairman of the department of rehabilitation medicine, and two other steering committee members will go before a United Nations assembly to request endorsement of the decade designation. Dr. Walsh explained that musculoskeletal disorders, such as joint diseases, back pain, fractures related to osteoporosis, severe injuries caused by traffic accidents and war, and crippling diseases and deformities are the most common causes of severe, long-term pain and physical disability.
Back pain is the second leading cause of sick leave.
Fractures related to osteoporosis have almost doubled in the last decade. An estimated 40 percent of all women over 50 years of age will suffer from osteoporotic fracture. The severe injuries caused by traffic accidents and war produce a tremendous demand for preventive and restorative help. An anticipated 25 percent of health expenditures of developing countries will be spent on trauma-related care by the year 2010. Crippling diseases and deformities continue to deprive children of their normal development.