Musculoskeletal conditions, part 1: rheumatological disorders

Musculoskeletal pain affects up to 50% of the population at any one time. Consequently, low back pain, neck pain, and upper limb disorders are important causes of sickness absence. This chapter will focus on the common systemic rheumatological disorders, including osteoarthritis (OA), inflammatory arthritis, connective tissue disorders, and widespread pain syndromes. Spinal disorders, including back pain, are covered in detail in Chapter 21. Musculoskeletal disorders that affect specific anatomical sites (including upper limb disorders, both specific and non-specific) are covered in Chapter 22.

Many rheumatological conditions are long-term conditions and potentially disabling but there have been recent developments in medical therapies, especially in the inflammatory rheumatic conditions, which offer the prospect of controlling disease activity, reducing disability, improving quality of life, and enabling work.