Does sex matter in musculoskeletal health? A workshop report.

In April 2004, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Office of Research in Women's Health at the NIH convened a workshop to explore how male and female biologic and physiologic characteristics affect musculoskeletal health. This issue of Orthopedic Clinics of North America picks up where the workshop left off, extending the discussion of clinical topics across the broad spectrum of musculoskeletal health. This article serves as a prelude and introduction to the issue and provides a synopsis of the workshop findings.