Key to the fountain of youth: physically active for life

The United Nations, the World Health Organization, and 37 countries have proclaimed 2000-2010 as the Bone and Joint Decade. In the United States, President George W. Bush proclaimed the years 2002-2011 as the National Bone and Joint Decade to promote the importance of a healthy musculoskeletal structure for a lifetime. The number of people older than 50 is expected to double between 1990 and 2020. Advances in medicine have made it possible for more people to live longer, but they also want to live stronger. Each year, musculoskeletal conditions and injuries account for about 102.3 million visits to physician offices, 10.2 million hospital outpatient visits, 25 million emergency department visits, 3 million hospitalizations, and 7.5 million procedures, and they cost an estimated $300 billion.(1).