Prevention Of Sports/Musculoskeletal Injuries In The Military

Abstract

Although injuries are recognized as a leading health problem in the military, the size of the problem is underestimated when only acute traumatic injuries are considered. Injury-related musculoskeletal conditions are common in this young, active population. Many of these involve physical damage caused by micro-trauma (overuse) in recreation, sports, training, and job performance. The purpose of this analysis was to determine the incidence of injury-related musculoskeletal conditions in the military services (2006) and describe a standardized format in which to categorize and report them. The subset of musculoskeletal diagnoses found to be injury-related in previous military investigations was identified. Musculoskeletal injuries among nondeployed, active duty service members in 2006 were identified from military medical surveillance data. A matrix was used to report and categorize these conditions by injury type and body region. There were 743,547 injury-related musculoskeletal conditions in 2006 (outpatient and inpatient, combined), including primary and nonprimary diagnoses. In the matrix, 82% of injury-related musculoskeletal conditions were classified as inflammation/pain (overuse), followed by joint derangements (15%) and stress fractures (2%). The knee/lower leg (22%), lumbar spine (20%), and ankle/foot (13%) were leading body region categories.

Prevention Of Sports/Musculoskeletal Injuries In The Military

Introduction

Injuries are recognized as a leading health problem in the U.S. In 2002, some 161,2people died as the result of injuries (unintentional and intentional). Fatal unintentional injuries (n=106,742) constituted the 5th leading age-adjusted cause of death but were the leading cause for those aged between 1 and years. Fatal intentional injuries from suicide and homicide ranked 11th and 14th, respectively. Each year, an estimated 1. million people with injuries are discharged from hospitals, representing the 2nd most common discharge diagnosis,2 and million people are treated for injuries in hospital emergency departments, accounting for 30% of all emergency department visits.

Data for the military services similarly demonstrate the magnitude of the injury problem within the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). In 2003, unintentional injury was the leading cause of death, representing 44% of fatalities among active duty military personnel. Combat injuries accounted for 22% of deaths, while intentional deaths from suicides and homicides accounted for an additional 16% of fatalities. In 2003, there were more hospitalizations for injury among active duty personnel (n=9605) than for any other diagnosis category except pregnancy-related conditions. In 2004, 555,3injuries were treated in ambulatory clinics throughout DoD.

Even though these data clearly demonstrate that injuries are a leading health problem, some civilian and military injury experts believe these data markedly underestimate the actual magnitude of the injury problem., and Injury is typically defined as “bodily harm” resulting from acute exposure to external forces or substances (i.e., mechanical, thermal, electrical, chemical, or radiant) or from absence of such essentials as heat or oxygen caused by a specific event. Using this definition for nonfatal injuries, only acute traumatic injuries having relatively sudden discernible effects are included in injury reports., These injuries are classified in Chapter (Injury and Poisoning) of the ICD-9-CM. However, many injuries that commonly occur in recreation, sports, and the workplace ...