Americans are living\u00a0longer\u00a0than ever before. But too often those extra years are not healthy ones \u2014 sapping the sweetness from what should be our golden years.<\/p>\n
Today, babies born in the United States can expect to live more than\u00a079 years, nearly eight years\u00a0longer\u00a0than the average just 50 years ago. Yet while the typical lifespan has risen,\u00a0healthy\u00a0life expectancy \u2014 the number of years a person can live in full health \u2014 hasn\u2019t kept pace. In fact, the typical American \u201chealthspan\u201d has\u00a0declined\u00a0since the start of the 21st century.<\/p>\n
In other words, we\u2019re outliving previous generations \u2014 but spending more of those years managing pain, disability, and chronic disease. That reality underscores what conversations about life expectancy often miss: it\u2019s not enough for our healthcare system to help people live\u00a0longer. We must also ensure they can remain healthy as they age.<\/p>\n
The growing gap between lifespans and healthspans is a global phenomenon, but it\u2019s particularly stark in the United States. A recent study estimated that the typical U.S. healthspan is\u00a012.4\u00a0years shorter than the typical lifespan, meaning Americans can expect to spend more than 12 years of their\u00a0lives\u00a0grappling with\u00a0chronic disease. That\u2019s nearly three years more than the\u00a0global average.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As lifespans have increased, this stretch of ill health has only gotten\u00a0longer: in 2000, the difference between the typical U.S. lifespan and healthspan was less than\u00a011 years.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s driving this troubling trend? The largest contributor is musculoskeletal conditions \u2014 disorders affecting bones, muscles, and joints \u2014 which become especially common in the later years of life and are the leading cause of disability worldwide.<\/p>\n
In the United States, these conditions affect\u00a0one in three\u00a0people, eroding their independence and quality of life \u2014 while costing us over\u00a0$380 billion\u00a0annually.<\/p>\n
Consider\u00a0osteoarthritis, which afflicts roughly\u00a033 million\u00a0Americans by gradually wearing\u00a0down cartilage in the joints. It causes pain, swelling, and mobility-limiting stiffness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Or take lower back pain, which affects roughly\u00a0eight in 10\u00a0Americans at some point in their\u00a0lives\u00a0and can become\u00a0debilitating\u00a0if left unaddressed.<\/p>\n
Musculoskeletal conditions like these typically aren\u2019t reversible \u2014 but they are largely preventable and almost always better managed when recognized early. This can be challenging since the warning signs can be subtle and therefore easy to dismiss.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Extending our healthspans will require changing the way we think about musculoskeletal care: not just as treatment after something has gone wrong, but at the moment signs develop, as a way to protect function, independence, and quality of life before limitations emerge. And it must involve care and exercise strategies, like regularly engaging in low-impact exercises and strength training, that reduce the risk of these conditions developing and slow their progression when they\u00a0do.<\/p>\n