Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The World Health Organizations described musculoskeletal conditions, comprising of over than
150 diagnoses, as symptoms that affect the normal range of motion of an individual; these
conditions may involve the muscles, bones, joints and associated tissues such as tendons and
ligaments. As listed in the International Classification of Diseases Symptoms, these conditions are
typically characterized by pain and limitations in mobility, dexterity and functional ability, often
reducing people’s capacity to work and their ability to participate in social roles having impacts
on the mental wellbeing of the individual and at a broader level, the prosperity and progress of
communities.
In accord to WHO, the most common and disabling conditions of the musculoskeletal system are
osteoarthritis, back and neck pain, fractures correlated to bone fragility, injuries and systemic
prevalent and commonly affects people those of adolescence to of older ages. The prevalence and
impact of these conditions are forecasted to rise as the global population ages and risk factors for
multimorbidity health states. With these conditions affecting the regular locomotor movement of
an individual, it is justifiable that these conditions account for the greatest portion of dropped
Surgeons, musculoskeletal conditions cost the United States about $13 billion or 1.4% of the total
According to the Global Burden Disease 2017 study, musculoskeletal conditions were the highest
contributor to global disability, approximately accounting for 16% of all years lived with disability.
Lower back pain is found as the leading cause of disability since it was first measured in 1990.
While the prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions varies by age and diagnosis, between 20%–
33% of people across the globe live with a painful musculoskeletal condition.
In accord to the GBD 2017, burden of disease profiles is shifting from communicable, neonatal,
diseases accounted for 61.4% of global disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2016, compared
to 43.9% in 1990. The steepest trajectory of rise in the burden of such diseases was observed in
low-income settings. With this transition in health profiles, the global population is now living
longer with consequences of chronic disease and injuries, particularly musculoskeletal conditions.
This demographic shift underlines the importance of re-focusing the emphasis of health care from
curative to promotive, preventive and rehabilitative health care, particularly in low- and middle-
income settings. This is also relevant in high-income settings, where over-medicalization and an
emphasis on a biomedical, rather than biopsychosocial approach to care, can lead to poor or
adverse health outcomes and unsustainable health care expenditure. According to Carvallo
Araulio, the opioid medicine epidemic for management of non-cancer pain, the majority of which
care services and a long-term care system will have the greatest impact on improving functional
The 2016 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) data for noncommunicable diseases identified the
profound burden of disease associated with musculoskeletal health. DALYs for musculoskeletal
conditions increased by 61.6% between 1990 and 2016, with an increase of 19.6% between 2006
and 2016. Osteoarthritis was observed to have a 104.9% rise in DALYs (or 8.8% when age-
standardized) from 1990 to 2016. Musculoskeletal conditions comprised the second highest global
volume of years lived with disability in 2016. Spinal pain remains the leading cause of global
disability since 1990. Notably, these GBD estimates likely underestimate the true burden of
musculoskeletal health conditions since important constructs such as carer burden, participation
According to Barnett K, Mercer, more than half of all older people experience multimorbidity of
noncommunicable diseases. Such multi-morbidities increase with age and are more common
among those in lower socioeconomic groups. This reinforces the need to address
where individual conditions are managed in silos. Multimorbidity very commonly includes
musculoskeletal conditions, with musculoskeletal prevalence ranging from one-third to more than
of a musculoskeletal condition significantly depletes physical function, clusters with mental health
impairment and increases health-care costs. These data highlight that policies, strategies and health
programmes for noncommunicable diseases, as well as essential care packages for universal health
coverage (UHC), must include musculoskeletal health as an integral component, particularly those
The sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the Decade of Healthy Ageing 2020–2030 offer a
timely and favorable opportunity for increased global attention and action on musculoskeletal
health. To achieve the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and to promote and maintain
health across the life course, a renewed and sustained focus on improving musculoskeletal health
is needed at national and global levels. While the Bone and Joint Decade 2000–2010 catalysed
awareness of the burden of musculoskeletal health conditions, important gaps in health system
improvements remain and a significant proportion of the global population continues to live with
Three priorities for action to reduce the global disability burden exist. First, there are substantial
opportunities for global leadership to support policy responses which have so far been neglected.
For example, the 2008–2013 Action plan for the global strategy for the prevention and control of
diabetes and chronic respiratory disease, rather than on strategies to promote living with improved
intrinsic capacity. While the nine global targets within the Global action plan for the prevention
and control of noncommunicable diseases 2013–2020 are relevant to the prevention and
priority area for noncommunicable disease management and important occupational and
environmental targets are not considered. Musculoskeletal health was only included as a
noncommunicable disease target since 2016 in the Action plan for the prevention and control of
noncommunicable diseases in the WHO European Region. The World Health Organization and its
Member States can help reduce the global disability burden through an increased focus on
healthy ageing policy agendas. There is a wealth of evidence for what works to improve
musculoskeletal health outcomes, yet translation into policy and practice remains limited. Explicit
advocacy for, and integration of, musculoskeletal health and persistent pain into existing global
and/or regional policy reform initiatives will be important to drive appropriate policy and service
Second, targets and monitoring for functional ability should be set as part of noncommunicable
diseases global health surveillance and as part of the health SDG performance targets. SDG 3 aims
to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages, which implies support for
functional independence and participation. However, the specific target for noncommunicable
diseases remains focused on reducing premature mortality from such diseases by one-third by
2030. This target is critical because premature mortality from such diseases disproportionally
affects people in low- and middle-income countries, the poorest and most vulnerable; however,
targets to reduce disability related to noncommunicable diseases, as the major contributor to global
DALYs, are absent. While musculoskeletal health conditions may be indirectly addressed as part
of the SDG on health, particularly in the context of preventive actions that influence comorbidities
such as obesity, current performance targets would not reflect changes in musculoskeletal-related
disability. Global targets should also be set to reflect maintenance of mobility, participation and
Third, musculoskeletal health should be part of noncommunicable diseases national policy reform.
National system-level health policy and strategy responses to address musculoskeletal health as a
disease. While health systems are now responding to the burden of noncommunicable diseases,
there has been an almost exclusive focus on cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and
While these foci are important, inadequate prioritization of musculoskeletal health and persistent
pain as part of health reform initiatives targeting noncommunicable diseases does not align with
contemporary evidence for global health, limiting opportunities for development of appropriate
integrated policy responses, workforce capacity building initiatives and harnessing of capacity in
civil society. System reform leadership in some high-, middle- and low-income regions is
nonetheless encouraging. For example, the development of person-centered models of care for
musculoskeletal health and persistent pain that consider multimorbidity and care integration across
the health and social care systems are recognized to improve policy capacity, service delivery and
cost–effectiveness. Implementation strategies have been developed for high-, middle- and low-
income settings.
A global framework to develop, implement and evaluate such models has also been
inform promotive, preventive, rehabilitative and curative essential packages for UHC; innovative
service delivery options; and strategies to build workforce capacity and consumers’ capacity to
Service- and system-level responses addressing musculoskeletal health should also integrate the
responses to other noncommunicable diseases. This will have the greatest impact if organizations
that focus on noncommunicable diseases and injury work cooperatively to tackle the crosscutting
According to Bitsiosis A., reported data all over the world showcases that nurses have a
very high prevalence of MSDs, to give context, in Europe, from 10% to 50% in France ,
89% in Portugal, and 85% in Macedonia; in the Americas, from 35.1% to 47% in USA and
from 32.8% to 57.1% in Brazil in Africa, 80.8% in Uganda; and in our Asia, 78.6% in
China, 85% in Saudi Arabia, and 88% in Iran. (Global Burden Disease 2010)
In Vietnam, although the occupational health sector is still underdeveloped, occupational
diseases and their prevention are increasingly concerned. Currently, the list of occupational
diseases covered by insurance has expanded to 34. However, MSDs are not included in
this list. Many occupational disease prevention programs have been implemented in
different work environments, including the medical milieu. Contrariwise, there was only
one recent and unique study ever about MSDs among workers in the health sector in
Vietnam in 2015 that showed a prevalence of MSDs over the past twelve months among
nurses at Viettiep hospital, the largest provincial hospital in Haiphong in the northern
coastal region of Vietnam, which was very high (81%), and many related factors may have
affected these disorders. This suggests that the problem of MSDs among nurses in Vietnam
can be very large. However, in order to have a comprehensive picture of MSDs among
nurses, this study is to assess the current status and risk factors affecting MSDs among
Numerous previously studies throughout the world have shown the very different
prevalence of MSDs on nurses over a 12-month period. This result was relatively similar
to the other studies on nursing such as 79.5% in Turkey, 76% in India 76.2% in long-term
study from 2004 to 2010 in 3915 nurses in Taiwan, 70% in Poland, 78% in Nigeria, and
79.5% in China. However, this result was lower than those observed in Uganda in 2013
among 755 nurses (80,8%), in Estonia (84%), 89% in Portugal, in Macedonia (85%), and
80.8% in Uganda and, in our Asia, there were Saudi Arabia (85%), Iran (88%), and Japan
(85.5%).
The most common site affected in this study was the lower back (44.4%) and the neck
(44.1%). The results of some studies in Asia are comparable to this result; for example, in
Pakistan in 2015, it was illustrated that around 49.7% of nurses faced MSDs in their
lumbar, and 35.4% of them complained about MSDs in their shoulders; another study in
Iran and in Hong Kong saw the same picture with 40% and 42%, respectively, of nurses
reporting MSDs in their lumbar; and one study in Nigeria (in Africa) showed that the rate
of MSDs in lower back was 44.1%. Although most studies have shown that lower back
was the most common site, this prevalence was still modest when compared to that from
other studies in Asia: in Japan (lower back 71.3%), in Iran (73.2% in 2010 and 65.3% in
2014), in China (64.83%), and in Saudi Arabia (65.7%); and this was similar to other
studies in Europe: in Portugal (60.9% in 2015 and 63.1% in 2017) and in Slovenia (85.9%).
Neck was also one of the most common sites of MSDs. Results in this study are similar to
those of some other studies such as 46.3% in Iran, 42.8% in China, and 48.94% in Malaysia.
Results of the National Disability Prevalence Survey (NDPS) showed that, in 2016, around
12 percent of the Filipinos age 15 and older experienced severe disability Almost one in
every two (47%) experienced moderate disability while 23 percent with mild disability.
Almost one-fifth (19%) experienced no disability. In this survey, the disability prevalence
rate corresponds to the percentage of persons with severe disability. Almost a third of
population age 60 and older experience severe disability the percentage of persons age less
than 60 who experienced mild disability is 23 percent to 25 percent. More than one in two
persons (53% to 54%) age at least 40 experienced moderate disability. Almost one in every
three persons (32%) with severe disability belonged to the older population age group of
60 and older.
The Philippines ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (CRPD) in 2008, and several laws and policies to promote the rights of people
with disabilities have been enacted. However, a study commissioned by Disability Rights
KAMPI) in 2008, found that a number of the rights of people with disabilities were
regularly violated. The study interviewed people with disabilities from Metro Manila, and
the Luzon, Mindanao, and Visayas island groups. The authors highlighted that despite
having several policies and laws to protect their rights, people with disabilities often faced
participation and access to health and rehabilitation services. The study recommended a set
disability and the level of access to services and participation in the community compared
12 percent of the Filipinos age 15 and older experienced severe disability. Almost one in
every two (47%) experienced moderate disability while 23 percent with mild disability.
Almost one-fifth (19%) experienced no disability. In this survey, the disability prevalence
rate corresponds to the percentage of persons with severe disability. Almost a third of
population age 60 and older experience severe disability the percentage of persons age less
than 60 who experienced mild disability is 23 percent to 25 percent. More than one in two
persons (53% to 54%) age at least 40 experienced moderate disability. Almost one in every
three persons (32%) with severe disability belonged to the older population age group of
60 and older.
According to the Philippine Statistic Authority the total cases of occupational diseases in
establishments reached 125,973 in 2015. This is comparatively lower by 26.7 percent than
the reported cases in 2013. Among industries, 13 out of the 18 major industries nationwide
reported varying levels of declines in the number of cases of occupational diseases in 2015.
The biggest decrease (81.3%) was recorded in mining and quarrying from 9,255 in 2013
activities which increased by 189.6 percent from 240 cases in 2013 to 695 in 2013. The
and support service activities (34.3% or 43,183) and manufacturing industry (31.1% or
39,143) jointly comprised almost two thirds (65.4%) of the total cases of occupational
diseases during the year. Meanwhile, industries which posted least shares of occupational
diseases included: water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities
(0.4%); arts, entertainment and recreation (0.3%); and repair of computers and personal
Cases of Occupational Diseases PSA stated that call center activities posted the highest
Noteworthy, call center activities (voice) exceeded all other sub-sectors in the
diseases in 2015 at 31,270. This is equivalent to almost one-fourth (24.8 percent) of the
total cases which means that 1 out of every 4 cases of total occupational diseases in the
Specifically, the six occupational diseases with the highest incidences in the call center
activities (voice) subsector were as follows: back pain (23.8% or 7,428); occupational lung
characterized by mental and emotional stress brought about by frequent repetitive tasks
coupled with prolonged sitting and lengthy verbal communication with clients.
1 out of every 3 (32.8%) occupational diseases reported in 2015 were back pains. Back
14,185 cases) and those that require sitting for long periods of time like that in
administrative and support service activities (25.6% or 10,581 cases) majority of which
involve call center activities. Cases of Occupational Diseases by Type in Call Center
Share Call Center Activities (Voice) 31,270, Back Pain 7,428, Occupational Lung Disease
Neck-Shoulder Pain 3,410, Essential Hypertension 3,124 10.0 Other occupational diseases
3,992. Aside from back pains, also included in the top five occupational diseases in 2015
were essential hypertension (11.5% or 14,539); neck and shoulder pain (11.4% or 14,392);
2.2 Rehabilitation
medicine which deals with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of
procedures, including, but not limited to, electromyography and other electro diagnostic
techniques. It also involves specialized medical care and training of patients with loss of function
so that one may regain their maximum potential, physically, psychologically, social and
vocationally with special attention to prevent unnecessary complications or deterioration and to
Rehabilitation measures target body functions and structures, activities and participation,
environmental factors, and personal factors. They contribute to a person achieving and maintaining
optimal functioning in interaction with their environment, using the following broad outcomes:
prevention of the loss of function slowing the rate of loss of function improvement or restoration
outcomes are the benefits and changes in the functioning of an individual over time that are
have focused on the individual’s impairment level. More recently, outcomes measurement has
been extended to include individual activity and participation outcomes. Measurements of activity
and participation outcomes assess the individual’s performance across a range of areas; including
communication, mobility, self-care, education, work and employment, and quality of life. Activity
and participation outcomes may also be measured for programmes. Examples include the number
of people who remain in or return to their home or community, independent living rates, return-
to-work rates, and hours spent in leisure and recreational pursuits. Rehabilitation outcomes may
also be measured through changes in resource us, reducing the hours needed each week for support
Rehabilitation is an allied medical profession which develops, coordinated and utilizes selected
knowledge and skill in planning, organizing, directing and evaluating the programs for the care of
individuals whose ability to function is impaired or threatened by disease or injury. Physical
Therapy is the art and science of treatment by means of therapeutic exercises, heat, cold, light,
water, manual manipulation, electricity and other physical agents. The goal of physical therapy is
Physiotherapy will help an individual to adapt a place in society while learning to live within limits
of his capabilities. Physical Therapy requires in depth knowledge on human growth and
of motion, manifestations of disease and trauma, normal and abnormal psychological responses to
injury, sickness and disability, and the cultural socioeconomic influences of the individ
(government-funded) health sector and are mainly found in major cities in Level 3
Region
Rehabilitation, as defined for the scope of this paper, is a set of measures that assist
individuals with disabilities, both pre-existing and new, to achieve and maintain optimal
body function in interaction with their environment. Nationwide in 2011, there were 305
729 low-income households with members having disabilities. Region 8, the area most
affected by Typhoon Haiyan, had 13 478 low-income households in which people with
disabilities lived. Following Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, all six hospitals in
Tacloban City, the capital of Leyte province, that previously offered rehabilitation services
were devastated. The entire physical therapy unit of the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical
Center (regional hospital) was flooded, most of the therapeutic equipment was destroyed
and medical records were water damaged. Shops that sold assistive devices (standard
orthopedic wheelchairs, crutches, walkers and canes) were also damaged. Like the rest of
the people of Tacloban City, hospital and health personnel were also victims of the disaster.
Immediately after Haiyan, all services, including rehabilitation services for people with
disabilities and injuries ceased at both in and out-patient facilities. Some limited services
resumed a few weeks after the disaster with the help of local and international volunteers
According to Brian Schaller, the environment is concretely defined as “the place”, and the things
which occur there “take place”. The place is not so simple as the locality, but comprises of concrete
things which have physical substance, shape, texture, and color, and together join to form the
environment’s personality, or setting. It is this setting which allows certain spaces, with similar or
even matching purposes, to embody very diverse properties, in accord with the unique cultural and
environmental situations of the place which they exist (Bachelard). Phenomenology is considered
as a “return to things”, maneuvering away from the abstractions of science and its unbiased
objectivity. Phenomenology engages the concept of partiality, making the thing and its unique
conversations with its place the pertinent topic and not the object itself. The man-made constituents
of the setting become the settlements of opposing scales, some large - like cities, and some small
- like the house. The trails between these settlements and the many features which make the
cultural environment develop the secondary defining characteristics of the place. The difference
of natural and manmade offers one the principal stage in the phenomenological approach. The
second is to succeed inside and outside, or the connection of earth-sky. The third and final step is
to measure character, or how things are complete and occur as participants in their environment
(Palasmaa,).
The placebo effect is known as a “fake treatment” that does not hold any active substances itself.
It helps the body heal simply by the mind’s expectation that it will heal, and the brain then releases
endorphins. Placebos can ultimately reduce swelling and pain, minimizing stress, which makes the
body better able to receive medical treatments. Charles Jencks made full use of the architectural
placebo effect, and through his work shows the importance of environments of healing.
Architecture has the power to indirectly boost the immune system. He used this philosophy to
guide his design of the Maggie’s Centres, a series of retreat centres for people dealing with cancer.
There, people receive practical and social support for dealing with cancer in an environment that
supports their emotional needs. William James, an American philosopher and psychologist,
believed “the greatest revolution in our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing
the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.”
Bibliography
Benigno MR et al. 2015, Responding to The Health and Rehabilitation Needs of People with
Disabilities Post-Haiyan. Western Pacific Surveillance and Response Journal
Jinky Leilanie Del Prado-Lu (2004) Risk Factors to Musculoskeletal Disorders and
Anthropometric Measurements of Filipino Manufacturing Workers, International Journal of
Occupational Safety and Ergonomics
Sedilla, Keneth & Matias, Aura. 2018, Prevalence, Severity, and Risk Factors of Work-Related
Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Stevedores in a Philippine Break-Bulk Port Terminal.
Soya Mori, Celia Reyes, Tatsufumi Yagamata. 2014, Poverty Reduction of the Disabled:
Livelihood of Persons with Disabilities in the Philippines.Routleedge
Chino N et al. 2002, Current status of rehabilitation medicine in Asia: a report from new
millennium Asian symposium on rehabilitation medicine. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine:
official journal of the UEMS European Board of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine.
Philippine Statistics Authority 2015
Directory of health, rehabilitation and disability services: Region 8. Manila, World Health
Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific, 2014
The World Health Report 2010—health systems financing: the path to universal coverage.
Geneva: World Health Organization, 2010. 6 Nolte
Jalac, Pauline & Sison, John & Fedilo, John & Galingan, Romalyn & Gutierrez, Ma Teodora &
Kurata, Yoshiki. 2018, Work-Related Musculoskeletal Risk Assessment among Structural Iron
Workers in a Steel Company in the Philippines.
“Mind is a Frequent, but Not Happy Wanderer: People Spend nearly Half their Waking Hours
Thinking about what Isn’t Going on Around them.” 2010.