Publisher's Synopsis
Musculoskeletal diseases (MSD) are defined as changes in muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, nerves, cartilage, and bones. The most associated independent risk factors are: age over 30 years, female gender, smoking, alcoholism, obesity, poor posture, pain intensity, mood disorders, low social and educational level, sedentary lifestyle and work activities that require efforts with excessive flexion, rotation, trunk vibration and excess load. The association of these individual, organizational, sociocultural and psychosocial factors contribute to the onset and chronicity of MSDs.The progressive increase in life expectancy of the population leads to a change in the global epidemiological profile. The increase in the prevalence of chronic degenerative diseases over the years requires restructuring in public health policy practices, in order to seek new solutions to reduce the impact of MSDs on the population, as well as to deal with the costs of diagnostic procedures and treatments inherent to these conditions.
