Indian soldiers, while guarding the mountainous border areas, often carry loads in steep uphill gradients. This activity may predispose the risk of muscle injury. The present study aimed to examine the effects of an increasing load, speed and gradient during incremental uphill treadmill walking on different muscles. Twelve infantry soldiers walked on a treadmill at two speeds (2.5 and 4 km/h) with no load, and carrying 10.7, 17 and 21.4 kg loads at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25% gradients. Electromyographic responses of erector spinae (>240%) and vastus medialis (>240%) were mostly affected, followed by soleus (>125%) and gastrocnemius medialis (>100%) at maximum speed, load and gradient combination compared to 0% gradient. Carrying 10.7 kg at 15% gradient and above was found to be highly strenuous and fatiguing with the risk of muscle injury. Uphill load carriage in slower speed is recommended for the maintenance of combat fitness of the individual at higher gradients. Practitioner Summary: The present article has evaluated the stress encountered by soldiers during load carriage at incremental uphill gradients while walking at different speeds by recording the muscular activities. Load carriage in steep uphill gradients is highly strenuous and may lead to muscle injury thus compromising the combat fitness.

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Soldiers of Indian Army need to carry moderate to heavy load in complex terrain conditions as their routine activity, which may prove to be highly tiring for leg and back muscles. Soldiers' regular movement at hilly area was simulated in a study consisting of a continuous uphill (UH) and downhill (DH) load carriage task to monitor state of fatigue at back and lower limb muscles. Twelve Indian soldiers walked at a fixed speed on five UH and five DH gradients with three loads (0, 10.7 kg and 21.4 kg). Electromyographic (EMG) recording was carried out throughout the experimentation on four groups of muscles-left and right Erector spinae (ESR and ESL), Vastus medialis (VMR and VML), Gastrocnemius medialis (GMR and GML), and Soleus (SOR and SOL) muscles. Median frequency (MDF) responses of tested muscles were derived from raw (EMG) data. Higher level of muscle fatigue was observed at highest UH inclination as the MDF response in GMR, GML and VMR was lowest at this point. The MDF response were found to be lower at DH gradients as the physical demand of that stage is less than the UH gradients.

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by many abnormalities and leads to long term complications like diabetic neuropathy, nephropathy and retinopathy. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy causes symptoms of peripheral nerve dysfunction. Sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV), distal sensory latency and F-waves minimal latency of median nerve are important parameters of electro diagnosis for early detection of diabetic neuropathy. The objective of the study was to determine the specificity and sensitivity of the sensory nerve conduction velocity and F-wave minimal latency of median nerve in diabetic subjects in early detection of diabetic neuropathy. Thirty subjects recruited for the study were divided into group A comprising of healthy subjects (n=10, age: 62.70±10.49 years) and group B consisting of diabetic subjects (n=20, age: 68.05±6.44 years). NICOLET VIKING QUEST instrument was used for the nerve conduction velocity test. SNCV of the median nerve significantly decreased in diabetic subject when compared with control group. However, the F-wave minimal latency was not specific and sensitive over SNCV to diagnose early diabetic neuropathy in clinically asymptomatic patients. We concluded that sensory nerve conduction velocity was much more sensitive and specific than F-wave minimal latency to detect early diabetic neuropathy.