Self-reported load carriage injuries of military soldiers

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate whether occupational load carriage constitutes a significant source of injury to military soldiers. An online survey was sent to soldiers serving in specific Australian Army Corps known to experience the greatest occupational exposure to load carriage. Of the 338 respondents, 34% sustained at least one load carriage injury. Fifty-two per cent of those injured during initial training reported sustaining an additional load carriage injury. The majority of injuries (61%) were to the lower limbs with bones and joints the most frequently injured body structures (39%). Endurance marching (continuous marching as part of a physical training session) was the activity accounting for most (38%) injuries. Occupational load carriage is associated with military soldier injuries and, once injured, soldiers are at a high risk of future load carriage injury. The bodily sites and nature of self-reported injuries in this study are akin to those of formally reported injuries and those of other militaries.

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

“…Furthermore, the one-year prevalence of MSD showed a similar increase, with a proportion of 27.9% in 2002 compared to 67.9% in 2012. These findings demonstrating the increased prevalence of MSD are corroborated by almost an entire body of literature within military populations [8, 13].…”

“…Another reason for the increased prevalence of MSD could relate to the more frequent international deployment over the last 10 years, which is in line with several studies reporting the increasing physical load during international deployments [7, 13].…”

“…The load of the soldiers’ equipment has steadily increased over the years. The increased weight is due to a combination of heavy weapons and combat equipment as well as new fighting equipment that the soldier must carry [13, 14]. In response to this increase in load, it has been suggested that the weight of combat equipment and the number of physically heavy working days in a row need to be monitored and limited, with the aim of increasing working capacity (i.e.…”

“…It is therefore of importance to identify the soldiers’ self-perceived health in order to gain an indication of how individuals will manage their work as a soldier. Moreover, it is also of great importance to investigate not only whether the prevalence of MSD has increased within the SwAF as previous studies [8, 12] have suggested, but also to assess the extent to which the increasing load of soldiers’ equipment in recent years relates to prevalence indices [13, 14].…”

Impact of Various Clothing Variations on Firefighter Mobility: A Pilot Study

“…As with other tactical occupations where load carriage is a requirement, such as in law enforcement (10 to 22 kg [4,5]) and the military (up to 45+ kg [6,7]), the loads carried by firefighters can increase their risk of physical injuries [8]. These injuries range from neurological injuries (like meralgias and brachial plexus palsy [9,10]) to the more typical musculoskeletal injuries (like sprains, strains, and fractures [11,12]). Furthermore, for the firefighter, carrying these loads can increase their risk of a slip, trip or fall when conducting fire suppression tasks in urban environments [13].…”