DGRW Update: Musculo-Skeletal Diseases

Background: Orthopedic rehabilitation is a major entity in rehabilitation. Due to coming demographic changes and its challenges concerning mobility of elderly patients it will increase. The criticism on orthopedic rehabilitation in Germany focuses on its missing evidence in therapeutic effectiveness especially in chronic low back pain. This overall-criticism is actually no more valid as there are a number of studies showing effectiveness of orthopedic treatment in rehabilitation if psychosocial comorbidities are respected and treatment is focussed on occupational training and reintegration. Goals: This overview describes the actual situation in orthopedic rehabilitation and its research. Results: The need for orthopedic rehabilitation will increase over the next years due to demographic changes. Important fields in orthopedic rehabilitation research are chronic low back pain, new rehabilitation models with focus on occupational reintegration, rehabilitation in elderly and following joint surgery as well as the analysis of health-care-system changes due to disease related groups.