Although musculoskeletal diseases are prevalent among the U.S. population, National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding assigned to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) is low compared with other institutes, according to a recent study published by Nguyen et al in The Lancet Regional Health–Americas. In the United States, musculoskeletal diseases carry an economic cost of $980 billion per year. Investigators used the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019; NIH Research, Condition, and Disease Categories system; and NIH Office of Budget to assess the relationship between the disease burden and NIH research funding for 60 musculoskeletal disease categories. The investigators found that neck pain was the most underfunded category, at 0.83% of its expected funding. They also determined that low back pain, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis received 13.88%, 35.08%, and 66.26% of their expected funding, respectively. Additionally, musculoskeletal diseases were found to be the leading cause of years lived with disability, the third most prevalent disease, and the third leading cause of disability-adjusted life-years. The investigators proposed that the NIH reevaluate its current research funding allocation practices to better reflect the burden of musculoskeletal diseases in the United States. In a companion press release from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center reporting on the findings, the study authors concluded: “Robust basic and translational research … lays important groundwork for breakthroughs in the field, which … can then [be translated] into therapeutic solutions for the population. However, without proper public investment in the early stages of research, many good ideas … that can fundamentally change [patients’] lives will never see the light of … day.”