Joint Efforts: Key Messages

Below are key messages and supporting information to share with patients and your community as part of the “Joint Efforts” campaign:

  • Our musculoskeletal system includes more than 300 joints. They are integral to overall health because they enable us to move and engage in physical activity.

  • Healthy joints contribute not only to better health and fitness, but also better quality of life.

  • Regular physical activity supports joint and overall health, yet many children and adults do not get recommended levels of activity.

  • As we age, maintaining joint health becomes increasingly important for preserving mobility, independence and quality of life.

  • Clinical guidelines recommend conservative, nondrug approaches as an initial treatment option for many common musculoskeletal conditions.

Optional: 

  • As joint and musculoskeletal problems become more common with age, access to safe, evidence-based, nondrug treatment options can help older adults remain active and independent.

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Our musculoskeletal system includes more than 300 joints. They are integral to overall health because they enable us to move and engage in physical activity.

  • Physical activity is considered one of the most powerful contributors to health and longevity as it enhances both cardiovascular and metabolic health, among other benefits.1
  • Physical activity reduces stress and anxiety and enhances sleep and quality of life.2
  • Physical activity can improve symptoms and function in a range of chronic musculoskeletal conditions.3
  • Regular movement, in turn, is vital to joint health because it enables nutrients to reach joint cartilage and other supportive tissues.

Healthy joints contribute not only to better health and fitness, but also better quality of life.

  • Healthy joints and a strong musculoskeletal system make it possible to continue working and engaging in daily activities, which helps us to maintain independence as we age.
  • A strong musculoskeletal system contributes to better balance, which helps prevent falls. Falls are one of the most common causes of death and disability among seniors.4
  • Movement allows people to engage in more social activities as they age, which is important for mental well-being.5

Regular physical activity supports joint and overall health, yet many children and adults do not get recommended levels of activity.

  • Only about one-quarter of children (23%) and teens (25%) get the recommended amount (one hour) of physical activity daily.6
  • Only about half of adults (47%) get the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week.7
  • More than 4 in 10 Americans are obese, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.8

 As we age, maintaining joint health becomes increasingly important for preserving mobility, independence and quality of life.

  • The prevalence of joint pain is increasing: The number of people worldwide living with back pain is projected to rise 36% over the next 30 years (from 619 million currently to 843 million in 2050).9
  • A strong musculoskeletal system helps us continue working and engaging in daily activities, which helps to maintain independence as we age.
  • Getting adequate sleep is essential to overall health and wellness; however, joint and chronic musculoskeletal pain can lead to sleep-related problems.10

Clinical guidelines recommend conservative, nondrug approaches as an initial treatment option for many common musculoskeletal conditions.

  • In the 2022 Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention promotes “diverse approaches and varied pain management solutions” and specifically encourages use of nonopioid/nondrug therapies as a first line of treatment against subacute and chronic pain.11
  • The American College of Physicians updated its guidelines for the treatment of acute and chronic low back pain in 2017 to recommend first using noninvasive, nondrug treatments—including spinal manipulation—before resorting to over-the-counter and prescription drugs.12
  • The Department of Defense and Veterans Administration 2017 guideline for the treatment of low back pain includes spinal manipulation as a nondrug, noninvasive option.13
  • The Joint Commission, which accredits every major U.S. hospital, recognized the value of nondrug approaches in 2015 by adding chiropractic to its pain management standard.14

Optional:

As joint and musculoskeletal problems become more common with age, access to safe, evidence-based, nondrug treatment options can help older adults remain active and independent.

  • The Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act (H.R. 539/S. 106) aims to make it easier for seniors to access nondrug care for musculoskeletal issues. Learn more at www.acatoday.org/Medicare. 15
  • Currently, Medicare Part B only covers one chiropractic service, manual manipulation of the spine. Patients are forced to pay for other chiropractic services out of pocket if they wish to receive them from their chiropractor.
  • The Medicare bill would allow patients to receive any Medicare-covered service that a chiropractor is allowed to provide under their state license.16

 

References

  1. Warburton DE, Nicol CW, Bredin SS. Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence. CMAJ. 2006 Mar 14;174(6):801-9. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.051351. PMID: 16534088; PMCID: PMC1402378.
  2. Department of Health and Human Services, “Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans,” https://health.gov/our-work/physical-activity/current-guidelines. Accessed July 28, 2020.
  3. Booth et al. Exercise for chronic musculoskeletal pain: A biopsychosocial approach. Musculoskeletal Care. 2017;15:413–421. doi: 10.1002/msc.1191.
  4. James SL, Lucchesi LR, Bisignano C, et al. The global burden of falls: global, regional and national estimates of morbidity and mortality from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Injury Prevention 2020;26:i3-i11.
  5. “Social Connection,” Center for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/social-connectedness/about/index.html.
  6. Friel CP, Duran AT, Shechter A, Diaz KM. U.S. Children Meeting Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Sleep Guidelines. Am J Prev Med. 2020 Oct;59(4):513-521. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2020.05.007. Epub 2020 Aug 27. PMID: 32863080; PMCID: PMC7574791.
  7. Elgaddal N, Kramarow EA. Aerobic physical activity among adults age 18 and older: United States, 2024. NCHS Data Brief. 2026 Apr;(555):1–13. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc/174653.
  8. “Obesity and Severe Obesity Prevalence in Adults: United States, August 2021–August 2023,” National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Data Brief No. 508, September 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db508.htm.
  9. Global, regional, and national burden of low back pain, 1990–2020, its attributable risk factors, and projections to 2050: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Lancet Rheumatology, June 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2665-9913(23)00098-X.
  10. Mayara Santos, Flávia L Gabani, Selma M de Andrade, Bruno Bizzozero-Peroni, Vicente Martínez-Vizcaíno, Alberto D González, Arthur Eumann Mesas, The bidirectional association between chronic musculoskeletal pain and sleep-related problems: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Rheumatology, Volume 62, Issue 9, September 2023, Pages 2951–2962, https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/kead190
  11. Dowell D, Ragan KR, Jones CM, Baldwin GT, Chou R. CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain — United States, 2022. MMWR Recomm Rep 2022;71(No. RR-3):1–95. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.rr7103a1.
  12. Qaseem A et al. Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2017;166(7):514-530. DOI: 10.7326/M16-2367
  13. VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for Diagnosis and Treatment of Low Back Pain, Sept. 2017, https://www.healthquality.va.gov/guidelines/Pain/lbp/VADoDLBPCPGPatientSummary092917.pdf
  14. The Joint Commission, “Clarification of the Pain Management Standard,” Joint Commission Perspectives, November 2014.
  15. “Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act,” American Chiropractic Association, acatoday.org/medicare.
  16. H.R.539 – Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act of 2025, https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/539/text.