Welcome to MOBILIZE CANADA!

Medicine calls it a “musculoskeletal disorder.” In everyday terms, it covers a condition that can lead to immobility – like bone and joint damage, arthritis, osteoporosis, spinal damage, back pain, repetitive strain injuries, traumas and accidents. In our roles as orthopaedic surgeons, working alongside colleagues in the health care community, we have been engaged – for literally decades – in helping Canadians overcome these conditions. We understand the challenges and the need for workable solutions. We’ve had first-hand experience with both the science and the public policies of health care delivery.

That’s why we welcome this new campaign, and we encourage you to visit this web site often, and to spread the message to family, friends and colleagues.

We believe it’s important to raise awareness and build public understanding of this vital health care issue.

Mobility problems affect over 11 million Canadians – more than any other health condition. There is a huge cost to the sufferers – pain, a lower quality of life, impairment of income, and a “spillover effect” that creates other health care problems. There is also a huge cost to the Canadian economy, and to the health care system. So it’s vital that we get more people thinking and talking about the issues.

It’s also important for individuals to learn more about how to deal with mobility problems, including intervention and prevention measures. There are steps you can take right now to better manage mobility issues. There are ways you can work more proactively with your doctors. And if surgery is required, there are things you should know – before and after – that can improve your outcomes.

All of these topics will be covered on this new website. There will also be information about new research and new products, plus opportunities to dialogue with medical professionals as well as other people coping with the same challenges.

Finally – and very importantly – the MOBILIZECANADA campaign will offer a central communication and information hub for you to learn and gain access to knowledge and resources from a central location, contribute to and stimulate health policy discussion, and encourage new thinking and improvements in the way care is considered and provided in this country.

MOBILIZE CANADA is an initiative of the Canadian Orthopaedic Care Strategy Group, working in collaboration with ZoomerMedia Ltd. and 50Plus.com. We congratulate them for creating this important new resource that will help you manage mobility and functional disability problems so that you can better enjoy the benefits of living longer.

Please visit this site often!

Dr. James P. Waddell

Orthopaedic Surgeon, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto
Board Chair, Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation
Chair, Ontario Orthopaedic Expert Panel

Dr. Cecil Rorabeck

Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery (Emeritus), University of Western Ontario
Board Chair, Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
Board Chair, Royal College of Canada International