Musculoskeletal disorders are a leading cause of disability in the UK’s rising aging population, primarily due to low back pain, fractures, and diseases such as osteoarthritis. The total cost of joint replacement and hip fracture surgery is approaching £9.5bn annually and represents a major burden on society and the NHS. The study is intended to reduce the impact of these common musculoskeletal disorders by providing a basis for improved means of disease prediction, prevention, and treatment.

The study—a collaboration between researchers from Cardiff, Bristol, Manchester, Southampton, Aberdeen, and Queensland universities—will use a combination of scans and genetic data from around 100,000 40- to 69-year-old men and women who were recruited to the UK Biobank study.

The team will explore how the size, shape, and structure of hips, knees, and spines contribute to the development of fractures, osteoarthritis, and back pain. The findings will then be used to develop novel strategies for identifying those at risk, slowing disease progression and treating those with established disease.

Dr. Deborah Mason, from Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences, said: “We are particularly interested in revealing the mechanical drivers of musculoskeletal diseases and have developed a 3D bone model to identify mechanical responses in bone. This model will be used to reveal whether genetic variants that are associated with the development of fractures, osteoarthritis, and back pain have a mechanical basis. Understanding these processes could reveal new risk factors for these important diseases and improve targeting of physical and pharmacologic therapies.”

Professor Jon Tobias, from the University of Bristol, added: “The sheer scale of UK Biobank in terms of the number of participants involved and detailed amount of information collected represents a unique resource for the international research community. This study will help us to realize the potential of UK Biobank for understanding the causes of common diseases and reducing their impact on health.”