TUCSON, Ariz., June 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The contentious issue of musculoskeletal adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines arises in the context of the collapse of public trust in academic expertise, writes Jane M. Orient , M.D., in the summer issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons.
She describes the extreme politicization of science and the resulting antagonism between Left-dominated universities and the Right-leaning public. Academia shifted sharply leftward in the 1960s, without effective opposition. Recent leftist overreach, including ideologically based research and tyrannical COVID-19 mandates sparked retaliation in the form of indiscriminate funding cuts. The wrecking ball also destroyed indispensable research, and there is no plan to rebuild, she writes.
Competent academic institutions are essential to national security, economic vitality, and the adjudication of critical questions such as vaccine safety. The complexity of the question of musculoskeletal effects is a prime example.
Dr. Orient emphasizes that musculoskeletal disorders are a major source of disability worldwide and affect not only movement and pain but also broader physiological balance. Because muscles and bones interact with the immune, metabolic, and neuroendocrine systems, inflammation in this area may have wide-ranging effects that are difficult to trace to a single cause.
Musculoskeletal reactions, including severe rheumatic conditions, have been reported after all vaccines, she notes. These effects are presented as signs of “immune activation,” though more serious chronic reactions have sometimes been linked to inflammatory components such as adjuvants. While mRNA COVID-19 vaccines do not contain aluminum-based adjuvants, their lipid nanoparticles may trigger inflammatory pathways that could contribute to arthritis, neuropathies, or other adverse outcomes in susceptible individuals.
The author concludes that due to the academic credibility crisis, existing evidence is not sufficient to settle the issue in a way the public will trust. Large-scale epidemiological research is needed to determine whether mRNA vaccines pose meaningful musculoskeletal risks, whether any such effects are transient or chronic, and how they respond to treatment. Only rigorous work by trustworthy academic scientists can answer those questions convincingly. Academia needs to be restored to its past grandeur.
The Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons is published by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), a national organization representing physicians in all specialties since 1943.
Contact: Jane M. Orient, M.D., (520) 323-3110, janeorientmd@gmail.com
