What is musculoskeletal (MSK) health?The musculoskeletal system is made up of bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and soft tissues. The human musculoskeletal system is crucial & an essential component to maintaining good health (WHO).
The musculoskeletal system is one facet of physical health & it consists of three components:
1. Muscle strength: defined as the maximal force that a muscle or a group of muscles can generate.
2. Muscle endurance: muscle's or a muscle group's ability to perform repeatedly against a load for an extended period of time.
3. Flexibility: ability to move muscles & joints through their full range of motion during movements.
The preservation of MSK health is greatly aided by exercise, which acts through the interactions between muscles and bones.
Why is MSK health important?Musculoskeletal health & fitness is linked to a number of health advantages, including:
-Decreased risk factors for cardiovascular disease,
-Increased bone mineral density (lower risk of osteoporosis),
-Enhanced ?exibility,
-Improved glucose tolerance,
-Reduced work-related MSK disorders,
-Reduce risk of obesity & physical inactivity OR sedentary lifestyle related health concerns
-Reduce risk of injuries associated with physical activities OR sports,
-Better management of degenerative and in?ammatories ailments like arthritis
-Chronic pain and
-better success with quality of activities of daily living (ADL).
The sooner in life a person begins to engage in physical activity, the greater the increase in favourable health e?ects ; nevertheless, engaging in physical activity at any age will help overall health.
What happens if MSK health is neglected?Approximately 1.71 billion people have musculoskeletal conditions worldwide.
The most common cause of disability worldwide is musculoskeletal illness, with low back pain ranking first in 160 di?erent nations.
Musculoskeletal disorders can result in early retirement from work, decreased levels of well- being, and a reduced ability to engage in society.
Musculoskeletal disorders constitute a major cause of disability and morbidity globally and result in enormous costs globally for our health and social-care systems. These are among the biggest contributors to the need for services in this area among youngsters.
“Pain experienced in musculoskeletal structures is the most common form of non-cancer pain”- WHO
In short, poor MSK health can lead to impairments hampering your daily activities, recreational or professional sports, negatively a?ect your work productivity, increase the number of absences from educational institutes or work place, mental health burden and increase cost for healthcare.
How can we help?At YOS Sports Health Specialists, a multidisciplinary team of physiotherapists working with pain specialists/doctors, health & fitness professionals, and others are able to address the underlying causes of MSDs and o?er the best care to patients with debilitating chronic pain OR functional limitations brought on by MSDs.
One potential chance to lessen the terrible consequences of MSDs on our community is to involve our physiotherapists and fitness experts in screening and prevention of risk factors, using their experience as health promoters.
REVA University, in collaboration with industry experts such as YOS, work together to develop the necessary high-quality skillset among a workforce developed at the university level to o?oad and manage the burden of MSDs in society.
