Welcome to the challenging spectrum of musculoskeletal pathology! As a family physician, you play a crucial role in providing comprehensive care to patients of all ages and backgrounds. Acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions are extremely common and can significantly affect people's quality of life. To leverage the highest standards of care in this domain, it is essential to acquire clinical expertise and achieve performance outcomes indexed to the management of musculoskeletal diseases and injuries.

Given the incidence and prevalence of musculoskeletal diseases and injuries and the importance of musculoskeletal health, we present the Course in Musculoskeletal Pathology in General Medicine (MGF). This course, with the scientific-pedagogical coordination of Dr. Maria João Sá, specialist in General Practice and Sports Medicine, was elaborated on the canons of good practice, scientific evidence and knowledge of the field, was specially developed to meet the needs of professional development of specialists in General Practice. The content has been adapted to address and enable the response to challenges and requirements faced by FGM specialists in the management of musculoskeletal conditions in the real context, i.e. technical-scientific framework, resources, people and governance.

We invite you to reflect on the synopsis of advantages that this course offers:

Accurate diagnosis for effective treatment: The course focuses on the improvement of diagnostic skills for musculoskeletal diseases and injuries. Learning to accurately recognize and evaluate the most frequent and/or serious musculoskeletal disorders is envisioned. This will allow you to promptly identify, treat, and manage conditions such as osteochondroses (e.g. frequent in pediatric age such as Iselin's disease, Sinding-Larsen-Johansson, Sever, etc.), tendinopathies, ligament tears from sprain mechanisms, rotator cuff tears, low back pain, cervicalgia, arthrosis, work-related musculoskeletal disorders, and other musculoskeletal diseases. Additionally, there will be classes on imaging literacy in the context of musculoskeletal diseases and injuries so that you can benefit from the comfort and impact of clinical information that comes from the image and that is determinant for the therapeutic decision and patient's journey in the context of the national health service.

Strategies for treatment and therapeutic intervention: the course will provide a wide range of treatment strategies and therapeutic interventions for musculoskeletal conditions. Evidence-based techniques for pain management, rehabilitation exercises, pharmacologic interventions, and when to consider and how to rationalize referrals to fellow specialists in other forums and complementary diagnostic procedures will be selected and adjusted to the context. This knowledge aims to enable service delivery, accurate diagnosis, and effective treatment for patients, minimizing the need for unnecessary referrals. That is, it should promote an increase in sensitivity and specificity in its reiterated route through decision trees.

Technical and therapeutic innovation: The course emphasizes the importance of preventive care and health education in musculoskeletal health and discusses technical and therapeutic innovations that can be placed at the service of patients, for example, ultrasound assessment and echo-guided intervention in the context of musculoskeletal diseases and injuries.

In conclusion, our musculoskeletal pathology in general and family medicine course offers a unique opportunity to acquire specialist knowledge and skills in a multi-professional context. By participating in the course, you will enhance your ability to diagnose, manage and treat musculoskeletal conditions, offering your patients the highest standards of care. We invite you to join us on this educational journey, with scientific-pedagogical coordination by physicians with daily practical experience in the challenges faced by your colleagues, and unveil new possibilities in musculoskeletal health!