What is a Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD)?

According to the French Health Insurance, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are diseases that affect joints, muscles and tendons. The official figures in France are particularly telling: they now represent more than 87% of recognized occupational diseases.

MSDs result from an imbalance between the body's physical capacities and the constraints it undergoes daily. They manifest as pain and significant functional discomfort. Several factors combine:

• Biomechanical risks: Repetition of precise gestures, excessively repeated efforts, prolonged static or uncomfortable positions (such as screen work or long car journeys).
• Psychosocial risks: Stress, professional dissatisfaction or time pressure increase baseline muscle tension and reduce the body's ability to recover.

Health Insurance reminds us that MSDs do not appear overnight: they set in gradually. If action is not taken at the first signs (numbness, stiffness), the lesions become established and can become chronic.

Osteopathy offers a global, mechanical and individualized response for all conditions listed by Health Insurance.