Why Your Bones, Muscles and Joints Matter More Than You Think: The Silent Epidemic of Musculoskeletal Disease

Tech selloff turns Monday's gains into Tuesday's losses as AI valuations face scrutiny

The quick scan: US stocks sank on Tuesday as investors dumped technology stocks and moved into shares more broadly linked to improvements in the economy. Palantir's stellar earnings briefly lifted sentiment early in the session, but momentum flipped as chip and software stocks faced aggressive selling amid valuation concerns and uncertainty over AI spending.

S&P 500: -0.84% to 6,917.81 – Pulled back after testing record highs earlier in the session, with tech weakness overwhelming initial optimism from strong Palantir results and economic data showing manufacturing expansion
Dow Jones: -0.34% to 49,240.99 – Fell 166.67 points after touching a new intraday record of 49,653.13, led lower by Salesforce (-6.97%), IBM (-6.28%), and Microsoft (-2.86%), though Verizon (+3.59%) and Walmart (+2.97%) provided some support
NASDAQ: -1.43% to 23,255.19 – The selloff was concentrated in AI and semiconductor names, with Nvidia down 2.8%, Broadcom losing 3.3%, and Micron falling 4.2%, while software stocks extended their 2026 tumble with ServiceNow and Salesforce each dropping close to 7%.

What's driving it: A sharp reappraisal of stretched tech and chip valuations drove a broad rotation, reinforced by a firmer US yield backdrop with higher long-end rates raising discount rates for long-duration growth assets. PayPal plunged 20.3% on disappointing 2026 guidance, Novo Nordisk tumbled 14% on weak sales outlook, while Palantir's 6.8% gain on strong AI demand couldn't offset broader tech pessimism. Precious metals rebounded sharply – gold jumped 5%, silver rallied 9% – after Friday's historic crash.

Bottom line: Tuesday's rotation from tech into value stocks shows investors questioning whether AI valuations have run too far too fast – but this isn't necessarily bearish for your retirement portfolio. If you're properly diversified across sectors, days like this are exactly when that strategy pays off. While tech-heavy portfolios suffered, the Dow's modest decline and strength in telecoms, retail, and industrials demonstrate that the broader economy remains healthy. Don't panic when high-flyers correct – it's often the market's way of redistributing gains more evenly.

"Lao Liao Lah" Is Not Good Enough: The Body System That Determines Your Independence

The scoop: The ability to walk, work, and live independently depends on a healthy musculoskeletal system. It's your body's engine – an integrated network of bones, muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons working in synchrony to turn energy into movement.

And yet, despite affecting more than a billion people globally and being the leading cause of non-fatal disability worldwide, musculoskeletal diseases remain what Dr. Bryan Tan calls the "silent epidemic."

In Singapore's rapidly aging society, conditions like osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and chronic low back pain create mounting burdens of disability and healthcare utilization. Beyond pain, loss of function, and reduced quality of life, decreased mobility and loss of independence often increase the risks of metabolic diseases like diabetes, poorer mental health like depression, and social isolation.

The economic impact? Work-related musculoskeletal diseases and ergonomic problems cost Singapore's economy an estimated $3.5 billion annually – comprising direct medical costs and, more critically, indirect costs from lost productivity and absenteeism.

Despite their massive burden, musculoskeletal diseases often receive less recognition than cardiovascular disease or cancer because they're not a major cause of mortality. They're commonly viewed as an inevitable part of aging – dismissed with a shrug and a "lao liao lah" (old already).

But here's what matters: we must distinguish normal aging – the gradual biological deterioration of muscle mass, joint cartilage, and bone density – from musculoskeletal diseases like osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. They're often seen as two sides of the same spectrum, but the "disease" side is associated with significant pain, loss of function, and reduced quality of life.

And here's the crucial part: many of the risk factors that push you toward the disease side of the spectrum are modifiable. Physical inactivity, obesity, repetitive injuries, psychosocial stress, and poor sleep – these aren't inevitable consequences of aging. They're choices and circumstances we can influence.

Unfortunately, preventing musculoskeletal diseases is challenging for two key reasons. First, these potentially modifiable risk factors accumulate silently over time. While each may seem minor on its own, together they cause significant harm. Second, early deterioration of muscles, joints, and bones often goes unnoticed as the body adjusts to compensate for the damage. By the time symptoms appear, significant damage has likely already occurred.

Communicating risk is challenging when the threat seems far away, the benefits take time to appear, and changing daily habits is hard.

Traditionally, musculoskeletal diseases have been managed through an episodic, reactive, disease-centric model that focuses on quick "fixes" – medication, injections, surgery. But there's been a gradual shift globally. These conditions are increasingly recognized as chronic diseases requiring early prevention, lifestyle modification, and long-term management because there's rarely a quick cure.

A life-course approach to musculoskeletal health – not just disease – is essential. Interventions must begin early to build peak muscle and bone health, which is often reached around age 30 before gradually declining. This is achieved through weight-bearing and resistance-training activities like squats, push-ups, and lunges, as well as adequate consumption of protein, calcium, and vitamin D. Avoiding sedentary behavior and early injury is also important.

From midlife onwards, the focus shifts to maintaining function, preserving as much reserve as possible, and slowing deterioration. Occupational exposures like repetitive strain and prolonged sitting, along with poor lifestyle choices – physical inactivity, poor nutrition, smoking, excessive alcohol leading to obesity – can accelerate deterioration of the musculoskeletal system.

In the later years, natural decline can be compounded by physical inactivity, other chronic diseases like diabetes, and social isolation. Adequate strength and balance training in a supportive social environment can significantly slow the decline.

When musculoskeletal disease sets in, care often becomes resource-intensive and treatment like surgery can be costly. As the saying goes: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Singapore's experience tackling chronic diseases – like the War on Diabetes focusing on nutrition, physical activity, and early detection – provides a solid foundation. However, while these efforts have generally addressed the same broad lifestyle risk factors, the emphasis on musculoskeletal health has been lacking.

Initiatives like the National Step Challenge focus on aerobic activity by increasing step counts, but good musculoskeletal health also requires additional resistance training and weight-bearing exercises. On the nutrition front, beyond reducing sugar and salt intake, there's a need for adequate protein consumption to support muscle growth – an often overlooked requirement in Singapore's predominantly carbohydrate-heavy diet.

National strategies like RIE2030 and recent initiatives like Healthier SG and Age Well SG have placed strong emphasis on healthy aging and longevity. Central to these efforts is narrowing the gap between healthspan and lifespan, with musculoskeletal health identified as a critical enabler of independence, mobility, and quality of life.

Key efforts include incorporating musculoskeletal health indicators like physical performance and body composition into routine health screenings. Simple measures like gait speed and grip strength have already been shown to be highly predictive of mortality and morbidity across a wide range of conditions, yet they remain under-used.

However, true transformation of musculoskeletal health cannot happen through healthcare alone. From a young age, education systems should build musculoskeletal health literacy, incorporating movement and ergonomic principles to establish preventive habits that last a lifetime. Workplaces are another critical frontier, where comprehensive occupational health programs, ergonomic work environments, and robust employee wellness initiatives can reduce absenteeism, improve productivity, and enhance well-being.

Across every life stage and all of society, we must spread the message that "Movement is Medicine" – creating a culture and mindset in which physical activity is essential for health.

As Singapore enters super-aged society status in 2026, musculoskeletal diseases must no longer remain the silent epidemic. Behind every fall, every fracture, and every chronic ache is a fast-growing burden that threatens longevity, mobility, independence, and quality of life.

For L-Plate retirees, this isn't abstract public health policy. This is about whether you'll be able to garden in ten years. Whether you'll lift your grandchildren. Whether you'll walk independently or need assistance. Whether retirement will be active or sedentary.

The time to act isn't when the pain starts. It's now.

Actionable Takeaways for L-Plate Retirees:

• Stop dismissing aches as inevitable aging: While some deterioration is natural, significant pain and loss of function indicate disease, not just normal wear and tear – many risk factors like physical inactivity, obesity, and poor sleep are modifiable, not inevitable.

• Build resistance training into your routine: Walking and step counts matter for cardiovascular health, but musculoskeletal health requires weight-bearing and resistance exercises like squats, push-ups, and lunges – aim to challenge your muscles, not just your heart rate.

• Prioritize protein alongside activity: Singapore's carbohydrate-heavy diet often overlooks adequate protein consumption needed for muscle growth and maintenance – combine resistance training with sufficient protein, calcium, and vitamin D for maximum benefit.

• Recognize that prevention is exponentially cheaper than treatment: Musculoskeletal disease costs Singapore $3.5 billion annually in lost productivity and medical care – investing in prevention now saves not just money but independence and quality of life later.

• Get your grip strength and gait speed tested: These simple measures are highly predictive of mortality and morbidity across conditions yet remain under-used in routine screenings – ask your doctor to include these assessments in your next health check.

• Understand the life-course approach: Peak muscle and bone health is reached around age 30 then gradually declines, so midlife focus should be on maintaining function and preserving reserves – later years require strength and balance training in supportive social environments to slow decline.

Your Turn:
When you feel an ache or pain, do you automatically think "lao liao lah" and accept it, or do you investigate whether it's modifiable deterioration versus inevitable aging?
Are you doing enough resistance training and weight-bearing exercises, or have you been focusing solely on aerobic activity like walking and counting steps?
If someone measured your gait speed and grip strength today, would those numbers predict a future of independence and mobility, or would they be warning signs you've been ignoring?

👉 Hit reply and share your thoughts – your answers could inspire fellow readers in future issues.

If this newsletter helped you understand why your musculoskeletal system deserves as much attention as your heart and lungs – and gave you practical ways to protect your future independence – consider shouting L-Plate Retiree a coffee on Ko-fi. Your support helps me tackle the "silent epidemics" that don't get enough attention.