Summer 2000 Newsletter

There I had the best of both worlds, education and research with wine and cheese.

As an EFORT delegate, I had the great pleasure to have been involved with the formal launch of the Bone and Joint Decade at the headquarters of the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, on January 13, 2000. I can recall sitting in the President Wilson hotel conference hall surrounded by more than 100 participants from all over the world, listening to incredible musculoskeletal material ranging from the war stories of a JRA survivor to astounding musculoskeletal epidemiologic data.

The number of individuals older than age 50 is expected to double between 1990 and 2020. Fifty percent of all American women older than 50 years are expected to sustain at least one fracture in their lifetime secondary to osteoporosis. By 2010, there is expected to be more people older than 60 years than people younger than 20 in Europe. By 2030, it is expected that the majority of orthopaedic surgeons will primarily be treating fractures secondary to osteoporosis. Musculoskeletal conditions were estimated to account for approximately $215 billion per year in 1995, and this number is increasing. The sad story is that only an estimated $92 million per year are used for orthopaedic research.

The aim of the Bone and Joint Decade campaign is to globally raise awareness and understanding of musculoskeletal injuries and disorders, to increase the patient's involvement in his or her own care and ultimately to improve the lives of those stricken with musculoskeletal problems now and in the future. Such advances can only be achieved through research, education and prevention. Yet for all of this to occur, funding is absolutely necessary. The Bone and Joint Decade is endorsed by more than 15 nations and over 650 organizations worldwide. ISAKOS is one of them. But where is the funding and support for research and education to help prevent and treat these disabling musculoskeletal conditions? Don't you think it's time we act now?

The promotion of education, research and preventative care sounds exciting; however, as ISAKOS members, our support and devotion to such ventures has been dwindling. Many have been spending more time drinking wine and eating cheese than investing in academia. OK, the French were found to have one of the lowest incidences of atherosclerosis and heart disease, which potentially could be attributed to their Chateau Margot. And the Swiss have one of the lowest incidences of developing osteoporosis, perhaps due to the alpine gruyere. But, be that as it may, we still need to invest in our future, the future of ISAKOS.

We must nourish and cultivate research, for it is research that sets the stage for progress. At present, the Education Committee has established a list of more than 125 teaching centers to which we are planning to become linked. We are focused on the development of cooperative relationships with other organizations (i.e., the ICRS), which is expected to provide increased prestige, membership growth and organizational awareness for both parties. Membership has grown by 20 percent over the past two years, but even more growth is necessary. We also have become involved in fostering communication and globally disseminating knowledge via our newsletter as well as the ISAKOS Web site, thanks to the excellent work of Dr. Don Johnson and the Communications Committee. Links with ESSKA, ICRS, and the Asian Pacific and Latin American societies are under way, and we are becoming more efficient. Over 40 percent of our members are involved with e-mail communication, and there is hope that this will increase.

Regarding the newsletter, I would first like to cordially welcome and thank Dr. Stephen Burkhart for becoming our new editor at the start of the millennium. The newsletter is meant to nurture a sense of family among interested ISAKOS members. It should be the forum for publication of ISAKOS activities. It should be a publication that offers added value to its readers' professional lives by facilitating their interaction with the ISAKOS Board and committees. It should become a dialogue, a two-way flow of information including ideas on new techniques, warnings, help and support. ISAKOS and its newsletter should grow further as a forum of such exchange. So take it, it's your newsletter!

During the cocktail hour at the end of the conference, I remember standing, surrounded by over 100 Bone and Joint Decade participants with wine and cheese in hand, and smiling. The incorporation of sports medicine into the Bone and Joint Decade is real. By working together, the integration of the Bone and Joint Decade with the ISAKOS campaign can become a reality. It takes motivation, togetherness, support (emotional and economic), awareness, understanding and dedication. With a touch of each and a bit more money, advances can be made ­ through research, education and prevention.

We can all have the best of both worlds.