The Use of Force Plate Vertical Jump Scans to Identify Special Warfare Trainees at Risk for Musculoskeletal Injury: A Large Cohort Study

Abstract

Background: Vertical jump scans from commercially available force plate systems are increasingly used in military settings to screen for musculoskeletal injury (MSKI) risk. However, to date, no studies have determined the ability of these tools to identify tactical athletes at elevated risk for MSKI. Purpose: To (1) determine associations between scores from a force plate vertical jump test and the likelihood of experiencing an MSKI and to (2) establish the test-retest reliability of the output scores from the force plate system used. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A total of 823 male Air Force Special Warfare trainees underwent force plate vertical jump screenings before entering an 8-week training course at US Air Force Special Warfare Training Wing. MSKI data were collected for the 8-week surveillance period for each trainee. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify associations between baseline force plate jump scores and the likelihood of MSKI (any region) or a lower extremity MSKI (significance level, P = .05). The test-retest portion of the study collected force plate output scores from 12 trainees performing 3 trials of the standard test procedures. The reliability of 5 output scores was assessed with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) using a single rater. Results: All force plate output scores demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability (ICC >0.90). Overall 308 (36.4%) trainees had an MSKI during the surveillance period. However, no significant associations were found between the proprietary force plate vertical jump scan output scores and the likelihood of experiencing either an MSKI or a lower extremity MSKI. Conclusion: Output scores from this commercially available force plate system did not identify Air Force Special Warfare trainees at elevated risk of experiencing an MSKI.

Impact of a 5-Week Individualised Training Program on Physical Performance and Measures Associated with Musculoskeletal Injury Risk in Army Personnel: A Pilot Study

“…Such low power during the CVI phase of the CMJ and potentially greater MSKI risk may be further exacerbated in the military during stressors such as marching over uneven terrain and heavy load carriage that may require consideration during training prescription [ 14 , 25 , 32 ]. Despite the current pilot results, the association between CMJ metrics and the likelihood of sustaining a MSKI remains unclear [ 16 ] with larger, long-term studies needed to clearly extend upon the current study results.…”

“…Pre-screening assessments, which aim to identify MSKI risk factors, are essential to inform the development and implementation of appropriate injury prevention programs [ 5 , 7 , 14 ]. The use of force plates [ 15 , 16 , 17 ] and computerised systems in the prevention of MSKI have been of interest recently in both sporting and military settings [ 1 , 15 , 18 ] with these technologies reported to be more reliable than traditional testing methods (e.g., Vertec jump test) in clarifying performance and identifying injury risk within a military setting [ 19 , 20 ]. One such system utilises a countermovement jump (CMJ) performance via force plates and proprietary software to identify imbalances that may exist (i.e., Sparta Science) [ 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”

Predictive utility of commercial grade technologies for assessing musculoskeletal injury risk in US Marine Corps Officer candidates

“…It is important to note, these studies used measures derived from the CMJ via SPARTA ™ (i.e., Load, Explode, and Drive), which are derivatives of common force place variables and did not report the SPARTA ™ MSKI prediction algorithms (i.e., MSKI Health and Risk Group). Alternatively, Hando et al (2022) Another emerging technology, that is, gaining popularity due to its automation of objective data inputs from a movement screen is markerless motion capture (mMoCap). mMoCap addresses previous limitations of marker-based motion capture (MoCap), the gold standard to evaluate kinetics and kinematics, that is, largely constrained to state of the art, biomechanical facilities.…”

“…It is important to note, these studies used measures derived from the CMJ via SPARTA™ (i.e., Load, Explode, and Drive), which are derivatives of common force place variables and did not report the SPARTA™ MSKI prediction algorithms (i.e., MSKI Health and Risk Group). Alternatively, Hando et al (2022) evaluated the MSKI Health composite score and other SPARTA™ measures in special warfare trainees and found the MSKI Health score was not predictive of MSKI [OR (95% CI) = .986 (.956–1.016)].…”

“…As the military pushes a for a reduced MSKI burden with quick actionable decision aids, these tools could add value in accomplishing this mission. Hando et al (2021) ; Hando et al (2022) is the only group to have examined the utility of the DARI™ (i.e., Joint Quality) and the SPARTA™ (i.e., MSKI Health) composite scores for associations with MSKI. While they have reported poor utility of the composite scores to associate MSKI risk in Airforce trainees, it is as yet unclear if SPARTA™ and DARI™ models will carry over to a different military population.…”