Musculoskeletal injuries in military personnel
Keywords:
epidemiology, injuries, musculoskeletal, military personnelAbstract
Background: Musculoskeletal injuries cause functional impairment, disability, and fatigue, and are one of the main reasons for medical care demand, service limitation, and disability in military personnel.
Objective: To describe the epidemiology of musculoskeletal injuries in military personnel.
Methods: This systematic review adhered to PRISMA guidelines and included cross-sectional and longitudinal observational studies addressing the epidemiology of musculoskeletal injuries in military personnel. A search carried out in PubMed, Scopus, and SciELO yielded 187 records. After removing 69 duplicates, 118 records were screened by title and abstract, excluding 48 that did not match the population of interest. Of the 70 full-text articles assessed, 58 were excluded for not addressing the topic, leaving 12 studies.
Results: Worldwide, high rates of musculoskeletal injuries are reported among military personnel. The most affected anatomical regions are the lower limbs and the spine. Women show a higher susceptibility to injuries. There is a noted scarcity of research on the topic in non-Anglosaxon contexts.
Conclusions: The studies provide a nuanced view of factors linked to musculoskeletal injuries in military personnel. The most robust evidence comes from longitudinal studies, which identify inadequate physical training, decreased muscle strength, smoking, female sex, and psychological factors as significant predictors in the development of musculoskeletal injuries. The consistency of the findings supports the need to implement comprehensive preventive strategies. More longitudinal research is required to consolidate this knowledge and translate it into effective interventions tailored to specific contexts.
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