The Elephant in the Room: Too Much Medicine in Musculoskeletal Practice

Abstract

Too much medicine burdens health care systems and deprives societies of resources. Overcoming too much medicine requires stakeholders (patients, clinicians, educators, health care funders, media, policy makers, industry, insurers, politicians, etc) to appropriately prioritize low-risk, cost-effective care over higher-risk and more expensive care of equal clinical effectiveness. Professional bodies, government agencies, clinicians, and patients must collaborate to discuss and synthesize the available evidence, share decisions, and translate knowledge. We do not underestimate the challenge of the task. Reducing the harm of medicalizing normality and avoiding the temptation to provide too much medicine in current musculoskeletal practice depend on all of us. © 2020 Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy.