Between the years 1996-1998 and 2009-2011, the number of persons in the population reporting a musculoskeletal injury rose only slightly, from 23.4 million to 24.8 million, resulting in a slight decline in the proportion of the population with a musculoskeletal injury (8.6% to 8.0%). However, the distribution of the population with a musculoskeletal injury, by age group, showed a consistent shift upward as the population ages, reflecting the overall aging of the US population. Persons in the 44- to 64-year age group showed the sharpest increase. (Reference Table 10.1 PDF [1] CSV [2])
Health care treatments and visits contribute to the burden of musculoskeletal injuries. Ambulatory health care visits for musculoskeletal injuries rose by 85% between the years 1996-1998 and 2009-2011, from 54 million to 99 million visits. However, physician office visits continue to account for the largest share of treatment visits. Hospital discharges for musculoskeletal injuries remain a very small proportion of overall treatment visits, indicating that most musculoskeletal injuries are not serious enough to require hospitalization.
Prescription medications for musculoskeletal injuries nearly doubled over the time frame, jumping from 201 million prescriptions to 397 million between 1996-1998 and 2009-2011, an increase of 97%. (Reference Table 10.2 PDF [3] CSV [4])
In recent years, ambulatory care visits account for the largest share of per-person direct cost for persons with a musculoskeletal injury, with the share increasing while inpatient costs share drops. At an average cost of $2,648 per person in 2009-2011, an increase of 80% from 1996-1998, ambulatory care accounted for 34% of per person direct cost in 2009-2011. While the share of mean per-person cost for inpatient care dropped from 35% to 27% between 1996-1998 and 2009-2011, the mean cost rose from $1,367 to $1,928, an increase of 26%. At the same time, the average per person cost for prescriptions rose from $427 to $1,314, in 2011 dollars, an increase of 161%. (Reference Table 10.4 PDF [5] CSV [6])
Total direct per-person health care cost for those with a musculoskeletal injury were $7,104, and increase of 75% since 1996-1998. Incremental direct per-person costs, those costs most likely attributable to a musculoskeletal injury, rose from $1,213 to $1,913, in 2011 dollars, an increase of 58%. (Reference Table 10.6 PDF [7] CSV [8])
Total aggregate direct costs for those with a musculoskeletal injury were $176.1 billion in 2009-2011, a rise of 86% from the $94.7 billion in 1996-1998, in 2011 dollars. Incremental aggregate direct costs increased from $28.3 billion in 1996-1998 to $47.4 billion in 2009-2011, an increase of 67%.
Indirect costs associated with lost wages for those aged 18 to 64 years are not calculated for persons with a musculoskeletal injury. However, musculoskeletal injuries are a primary cause of lost work days by persons in the labor force. In 2010, musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) accounted for nearly one-third (30.5%) of the 933,200 injuries involving days away from work. In addition, MSD injuries consistently across the years result in more median days away from work than all workplace injuries. In 2011, MSDs had a median of 11 days away from work compared to a median of 8 days for all injuries, which includes the MSDs in this median. (Reference Table 6B.1.1 PDF [9] CSV [10] and Table 6B.2.1 PDF [11] CSV [12])
Musculoskeletal workplace injuries are a major concern, accounting for a large proportion of all nonfatal injuries that result in days away from work. Even though long-term trends show significant reductions in the total number of worker injuries each year, the proportion that are related to musculoskeletal (MSD, which include fractures, bruises/ contusions, and amputations) continues to account for more than one-half of all worker nonfatal injury cases involving days away from work. In addition to the cost of medical care for these injuries, the cost of lost wages and the potential for long-term impairment negatively impacting worker productivity are enormous.
Links:
[1] https://www.boneandjointburden.org/docs/T10001.1.pdf
[2] https://www.boneandjointburden.org/docs/T10001.1.csv
[3] https://www.boneandjointburden.org/docs/T10003.2.pdf
[4] https://www.boneandjointburden.org/docs/T10003.2.csv
[5] https://www.boneandjointburden.org/docs/T10005.4.pdf
[6] https://www.boneandjointburden.org/docs/T10005.4.csv
[7] https://www.boneandjointburden.org/docs/T10007.6.pdf
[8] https://www.boneandjointburden.org/docs/T10007.6.csv
[9] https://www.boneandjointburden.org/docs/T6B.1.1.pdf
[10] https://www.boneandjointburden.org/docs/T6B.1.1.csv
[11] https://www.boneandjointburden.org/docs/T6B.2.1.pdf
[12] https://www.boneandjointburden.org/docs/T6B.2.1.csv