Endorsed by the United Nations on 30 November 1999 and
officially launched on 13 January 2000 at the headquarters of the World Health
Organization in Geneva, Switzerland the Bone
and Joint Decade (BJD) is an international group of healthcare
professionals that address the substantial effect that bone and joint disorders
have on society, the healthcare system, and the individual. The goal of the BJD
is to “improve the health- related quality of life for people with
musculoskeletal disorders throughout the world by raising awareness and
promoting positive actions to combat the suffering and costs to society
associated with musculoskeletal disorders”.[1]
This patient centered organization’s motivation has been the establishment of
initiatives capable of delivering best-evidence multi-disciplinary healthcare
on a global scale.
This focus was evident with establishment of The Task Force
on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders in 2000. This fifty (50) member Task
Force, with members from nine (9) countries, and representing nineteen (19)
clinical and scientific disciplines/specialties was mandated with the task of publishing
a report outlining
the best current evidence regarding the risk and prognosis of neck pain, its assessment/diagnosis,
and the effectiveness and safety of invasive and non-invasive treatment methods
for neck pain. During this process they were to also identify problems with the
current literature so that future studies could be developed. The goal of this
seven year project was to empower the
public, especially individuals who suffer from neck pain or at risk of
developing it. This collaborative effort that included eight (8) universities
in four (4) countries and eleven (11) professional organizations who were
nonfinancial sponsors produced a document that has changed approaches and views
regarding neck pain as well as its
prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management.[2]
Below is the roster of the 13-member Scientific Secretariat
who conducted the screening process of 31,878 research citations on neck pain
of which 1,203 articles were found to be relevant. 46% (552) of those were
found to be “scientifically admissible” for utilization in this synthesis of
best-evidence. Aside from this, various other members of the Task Force also
conducted four (4) original research projects during its seven year tenure, two
that examined vertebrobasilar
stroke, one that compared the outcomes of various forms of neck pain
treatment, and another that examined work absenteeism due to neck pain.
As Primary
Spine Practitioners, the
doctors at Life in Motion Chiropractic and Wellness have
found this study to be an invaluable
guideline for providing our patients with or triaging them to the most
effective treatment available for their neck pain.
Stephen W.
Greenhalgh, MA, MLIS
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Gabrielle van der Velde, DC, PhD (Candidate)
“In other words, one finds much more information than any individual
clinician would be able to find, download, print, read, and digest/assimilate
should he/she be devoted to such tasks full-time for years. More specifically,
the fact that not only whiplash and nontraumatic disorders but also headaches, arm
pain, and generalized symptoms of cervical origin are included in the review is
a major strength of this work. Similarly, it’s very useful having both
nonsurgical and surgical treatments in the same publication. Moreover, grading treatments
according to the likelihood of helpfulness; reporting on prognostic factors and
using “suspected etiology” to evaluate treatments are some other examples of
the clinical orientation and practicality of this report.”
Department of
Rheumatology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Hôpital Fribourgeois –
Freiburger Spital Site de Fribourg – Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
Service de
Rhumatologie, Médecine Physique et Rééducation, 1708, Fribourg, Switzerland
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[1] "Background
& Goals." THE BONE AND JOINT DECADE. World Health Organization, 13
Jan. 2000. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. <http://bjdonline.org/home/bjd-goals/>.
[2] Haldeman,
Scott, Linda Carroll, David Cassidy, Jon Schubert, and Ake Nygren. "The
Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated
Disorders - Executive Summary." SPINE 33.4S (2008): S5-S7. Print.
