The 2014 World Summit of the Bone and Joint Decade in London, during October 2014. Organised by the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) alongside the BJD, the Summit was attended by representatives from over 30 countries spanning all continents along with policy makers at the national, European and global level.

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The enormous burden of musculoskeletal conditions across the globe has been recognised in the Global Burden of Disease study (Lancet 2012; 380 (9859)) and there have been great advances in prevention and treatment that can eﬀectively prevent disability. However, these are not implemented with equity, either within or between countries; as a result there is a growing burden of avoidable disability. This needs to change.

This high level international summit meeting proved to be a strategically and scientifically important meeting for the musculoskeletal community, which continued the momentum of the Bone and Joint Decade to raise the priority of musculoskeletal health and science.

The Summit focussed on the case for change and the urgent need to focus on musculoskeletal health as a public health priority. A strong case was made for specific needs to be reflected in any strategic action plan to promote musculoskeletal health.

On the first day, representatives had the opportunity to discuss the importance of working together to raise awareness and promote positive actions to combat the suffering and costs to society of these disorders. The programme was designed to enhance the activities of the BJD National Action Networks and to provide an opportunity to share the successful collaborations and campaigns of the local networks.

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The second day began with a high level message from Norman Lamb, UK Minister for Care and Support and included keynote speeches about the impact of musculoskeletal conditions, measures for improving care, delivering best practice and the impact of work on musculoskeletal health.

Speakers included Sir Mark Walport, Chief Scientific Advisor to HM Government, Dr Isabel de La Mata Principle Advisor European Commission and Dr Gauden Galea, Director of the Division of Non-communicable Diseases and Life-Course, from the World Health Organisation.

Our programme for Monday explored measures for improving care and delivering best practice, and examined the impact of work on musculoskeletal health. With keynote speeches about the impact of musculoskeletal conditions, we drew on experiences in the UK, Europe and worldwide. There was also a session on the role of research followed by the launch of our Call for Action, which coincided with the launch of Bone and Joint Action week

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From day one the tweeting began, live from the action with lots of interesting photos, ideas and questions. Thank you to all our tweeters for creating such a great online presence. You can see some of the top tweets from the summit in the feed below.

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