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Disparities in musculoskeletal care

Guest Editor

Rodrigo Rizzo, PhD, University of New South Wales, Australia


BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders called for submissions to our Collection on Disparities in musculoskeletal care. Musculoskeletal disorders are a pervasive global health concern that significantly impacts the quality of life for millions of individuals. While the burden of these conditions is substantial, there is a striking imbalance in the access to and quality of musculoskeletal care. Addressing these disparities is imperative, not only from a healthcare equity perspective but also in the context of achieving multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

New Content ItemThis Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good health and well-being, SDG 5: Gender equality, and SDG 10: Reduced inequalities.

Meet the Guest Editor

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Rodrigo Rizzo, PhD, University of New South Wales, Australia

Dr Rodrigo Rizzo is a Medical Research Future Funding (MRFF) Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and the School of Health Sciences, University of New South Wales (UNSW). Dr Rizzo has conducted randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and process evaluations of interventions in pain, digital health, and evidence-based practices. Dr Rizzo's innovative research has been applied in several allied health teams to manage chronic pain and informed the development and implementation of a prescribable digital health intervention in primary care funded by the MRFF 2021 Primary Health Care Digital Innovations.

About the Collection

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders called for submissions to our collection on Disparities in musculoskeletal care.

Musculoskeletal conditions continue to remain one of the key contributors to multimorbidity and are predicted to increase in both prevalence and impact. The healthcare system continues to present barriers to accessible, affordable, and quality musculoskeletal care for multiple subgroups. These disparities include cultural, educational, socioeconomic and demographic factors, and these gaps in access to care could result in avoidable complications and/or deaths, delays in diagnosis, and increased surgery times.

Though innovative practices have been proposed and implemented to address these disparities to transform the access and delivery of care--including digital health solutions and telemedicine, healthcare policy changes, and looking from patient perspectives--multiple groups still continue to face these barriers.

The aim of this Collection was to explore the inequities and discrepancies in the access, quality, and outcomes of musculoskeletal healthcare services; raise awareness; and promote evidence-based solutions to reduce disparities in musculoskeletal care.

This collection welcomed submissions on topics including but not limited to:

  • Disparities in musculoskeletal care across different demographic groups and how it has evolved over the recent years
  • Current barriers to accessible musculoskeletal health care and its implications for public health
  • Patient outcomes, experiences, and perspectives
  • Patient-centered care and shared decision-making 
  • Healthcare policies and efforts in addressing disparities in musculoskeletal care
  • Advancements in technologies and telemedicine in bridging gaps in musculoskeletal care access and quality

This collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good health and well-being, SDG 5: Gender equality, and SDG 10: Reduced inequalities.

Image credit: Pcess609 / stock.adobe.com

  1. This study aimed to evaluate if access to orthopedic surgery differs by healthcare coverage in a country with a dual healthcare system adjusted by age, sex, and urgent and elective conditions. We hypothesize t...

    Authors: María Jesús Lira, Paula Pino, Catalina Vidal, Pamela Mery, Sebastián Irarrázaval, Jaime Cerda and Jorge Vergara
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2025 26:458
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Effective management of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries requires a comprehensive approach, from initial assessment, through treatment, rehabilitation, and discharge, however no gold standard care pat...

    Authors: Niall J. Maher, Chris Brogden, Anthony C. Redmond, Heidi J. Siddle, Gareth Jones, Damian Buck, Steven Broadbent, Gareth Liversidge, Justin Murr, Conor Tingle and David E. Lunn
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2025 26:363
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. The aim of this study was to assess the self-reported quality of care for people with knee osteoarthritis in Singapore and to investigate the associations between participant characteristics and functional out...

    Authors: Ren Hao Linus Tan, Anthony J. Goff, Chien Joo Lim and Yijia Bryan Tan
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2025 26:298
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. Patellar fracture surgeries are associated with subsequent atrophy and weakness in the muscles of the lower limb. Individualized blood flow restriction training is progressively being recognized as a potential...

    Authors: Mingming Yang, Bin Liang, Xin Zhao, Yang Wang, Mingyuan Xue, Qipeng Song and Dan Wang
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2025 26:247
    Content type: Research Published on:

  5. Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is one of the most common musculoskeletal problems worldwide. Even though regular exercise is recommended as the primary conservative approach in treating this condition, significa...

    Authors: Marketa Nevelikova, Filip Zlamal, Filip Dosbaba, Jing Jing Su and Ladislav Batalik
    Citation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2025 26:226
    Content type: Research Published on:

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection; please select "Disparities in musculoskeletal care" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.