Bone, muscle and joint diseases are the leading cause of physical pain and disability worldwide. Despite this, strategies for their prevention and management remain limited, both because the onset and progression of these diseases result from the interaction of multiple causes which are not yet fully understood, and also because many diseases lack effective pharmacological treatments.
This group is dedicated specifically to the study of the epidemiology of chronic musculoskeletal pain and bone fragility in the general population throughout life. It also extends this approach to its interfaces with clinical rheumatology research and imaging, occupational and school health, and ultimately to public health policies.
The lab aims to understand the relationship between different dimensions of musculoskeletal development throughout childhood and adolescence (bone quality, sagittal posture and musculoskeletal pain) and how these can predict musculoskeletal health in adulthood. It also aims to estimate the effect of different factors, from clinical history to psychosocial contexts, on musculoskeletal pain trajectories, providing special attention to persistent or recurrent symptoms with no identifiable cause. Thus, the lab intends to contribute to the identification of people who are more susceptible to incorporating adverse experiences related to musculoskeletal pain and who may benefit more from an early management of this key dimension of physical suffering.
