The global burden of musculoskeletal injury in low and lower-middle income countries

Abstract

Background: While the global burden of musculoskeletal injury is increasingly recognized, few epidemiologic studies have specifically recorded its incidence or prevalence, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Understanding the burden of musculoskeletal injury relative to other health conditions is critical to effective allocation of resources to mitigate the disability that results from trauma. The current study aims to systematically review the existing primary literature on the incidence and prevalence of pelvic and appendicular fractures, a major component of musculoskeletal injury, in low- and lower-middle income countries (LMICs). Methods: This study conforms to the systematic review and traditional meta-analysis guidelines outlined in the PRISMA-P statement. Incidence rates were calculated as the occurrence of new fracture cases per 100,000 person-years, and prevalence as total fracture cases per population sample, reported as percentages. Results: The literature search yielded 3497 total citations. There were 21 full-text articles, representing 14 different countries, selected for data extraction. Included studies reported a wide range of incidence and prevalence rates, with an overall mean fracture incidence ranging from 779 (95% CI: 483.0–1188.7) to 1574 (95% CI: 1285.1–1915.1) per 100,000 person-years. Conclusion: Better understanding the unmet burden of musculoskeletal injury in LMICs is critical to effectively allocating resources and advocating for underserved populations. To address existing gaps and heterogeneity within the literature, future research should incorporate population-based sampling with broader geographic representation in LMICs to more accurately capture the burden of disease.

POGO Travel Journal: Tenwek Hospital in Bomet, Kenya

“…During my 2 months at Tenwek, I was able to work with residents in the PAACS/COSECSA orthopaedics training program. With the increasing burden of Road Traffic Injuries (RTI) sustained by people of all ages, including children, and the contribution of RTIs to global morbidity and mortality, [6][7][8][9] it is necessary for the orthopaedic workforce in this region of the world to expand. Given my privilege of growing up in a high-income country and having accessibility to medical education and specialized training, I felt compelled to contribute in some way to ease the morbidity associated with musculoskeletal conditions in low-and middle-income countries (LMIC) through clinical care and orthopaedic education.…”

Primary care pathway- a novel way to reduce the burden on orthopaedic fracture clinics within the pediatric subgroup

“…If this trend continues, musculoskeletal injuries will account for 20% of all ill health in the world by 2020. [ 1 ] In Australia, between the years 2013 and 2019, the amount of presentations to public hospital emergency departments (ED) has increased by an average of 2.7% each year. [ 2 ] In 2017 to 2019 there were over 270,000 orthopaedic presentations seen in ED's across Australia.…”

Mediating Effects of Coping Strategies on Quality of Life Following Extremity Injury

“…Over the years, the disease burden and productivity loss that extremity injuries impose on society have become a public health concern (Banerjee et al, 2013; Polinder et al, 2016). Extremity injury is more prevalent in low- and middle-income countries, including Indonesia (Cordero et al, 2020). Such injuries often result from traffic accidents (Tonapa et al, 2021), primarily caused by lack of road safety.…”