Remarkable increase of musculoskeletal disorders among soldiers preparing for international missions – comparison between 2002 and 2012

Abstract

Background Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are common among soldiers and constitute the most common reason for discontinuing military service within different military populations worldwide. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in two cohorts, 10 years apart, in the Swedish Armed Forces, to explore differences between these cohorts and to determine associated factors with MSD. Method Comparative cross-sectional study. Participants were recruited from the Swedish Armed Forces, i.e. soldiers preparing for international missions in 2002 and 2012. A total of 961 soldiers, 7% women, participated in the study. Data were collected using the Musculoskeletal Screening Protocol (MSP), which includes questions regarding prevalence of MSD in ten anatomical locations (neck, upper back, low back, shoulders, elbow, hand, hip, knee, lower limb and foot). An additional five questions concern perceived self-rated health, i.e. how the respondent perceives their own physical body, mental health, social environment, physical environment and work ability. Results Over a ten-year period, both point prevalence and one-year prevalence of MSD in any body part increased significantly, with point prevalence increasing from 7.1 to 35.2% (p < 0.001) and one-year prevalence from 27.9 to 67.9% (p < 0.001). The knee was the most common anatomic location for MSD in both cohorts. Across each anatomical location (neck, upper back, low back, shoulders, elbow, hand, hip, knee, lower leg and foot), both point prevalence (p < 0.039) and one-year prevalence (p < 0.005) increased significantly from 2002 to 2012. Most soldiers reported good to excellent perceived health, i.e. self-perception of their physical body, mental health, physical and social environments, and work ability. The odds of reporting one-year prevalence of MSD in any body part was 5.28 times higher for soldiers in Cohort 2012, 1.91 times higher in age group 31–40 and 2.84 times higher in age group 41 and above. Conclusions The prevalence of MSD increased remarkably over a ten-year period among Swedish soldiers preparing for international missions. With increasing age as one risk factor, systematic monitoring of MSD throughout the soldiers’ careers and implementation of targeted primary-to-tertiary preventive programs are thus important.

Musculoskeletal disorders and their associations with health- and work-related factors: a cross-sectional comparison between Swedish air force personnel and army soldiers

“…the neck, the thoracic region and the shoulders) and lumbar region were studied. The AF answered the questionnaires when the researchers visited the respective air base, while the DS answered the questionnaire when they were undergoing medical checks in preparation for international deployment to Afghanistan in 2012 [9].…”

“…The DS were employed as army soldiers or officers at one army unit and were undergoing medical checks in preparation for deployment. The AF (n = 181, mean (SD) age 38 [9] years), as a cohort, were significantly (p = 0.01) older than the DS (n = 354, mean (SD) age 29 [9] and few females (n = 3) were in service at the two air bases. Therefore, only males aged 25 years and older were included in the analyses (AF n = 166, DS n = 185, total n = 351), Fig.…”

“…A 5-point self-report scale was used with answers; never, irregular, 1, 2 or ≥ 3 times per week. In accordance to Larsson et al [14,16], this rating was added and converted to a score ranging from 0 to 16 points and thereafter grouped into; "low/inactive" (≤5), "active" [6][7][8][9][10][11], and "highly active" (≥12).…”

“…Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are a widespread problem in armed forces worldwide [1], especially in air force personnel [2][3][4] and army soldiers [5][6][7][8]. Recently it was reported that MSD have increased over time among Swedish deployed soldiers (DS) [9] and Dutch Air Force personnel [10]. This trend is worrisome given that MSD may negatively affect performance of military personnel [11].…”

Cervico-thoracic pain and associated impairments in air force personnel: a cross-sectional study

“…The MSP questionnaire [ 1 , 21 – 23 , 26 , 27 ] was used to gather information regarding age, height, weight, and one-year and point prevalence of musculoskeletal pain or injuries for ten body regions. For point prevalence, the AFP rated their maximal pain intensity from 0 to 10 using the numerical pain rating scale (NPRS).…”