Samenvatting

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) have a high prevalence with over 75% of the Dutch adults reporting one or more complaints in the past 12 months. In a large population-based study back pain was most prevalent (44%), followed by complaints of neck (31%), shoulder (30%), and arms (23%). The high occurrence of MSD has large economical consequences, due to substantial healthcare utilisation, sickness absence, and permanent disability. About 25% of persons with MSD will take a sick leave and in about 20% of these cases the duration of sick leave will exceed 4 weeks.