The Nature and Causes of Injuries in Female Recruits Resulting from an 8-Week Physical Training Program,
Abstract
Women entering the Army are exposed to considerable physical stress due to the intense physical training program encountered. Four hundred women recruits, aged 18-29, participated in a prospective study to (1) determine the incidence and nature of injuries they would sustain as the result of a vigorous, supervised training program and (2) identify the predisposing factors that may be related to their occurrence. The data demonstrated that 54% (215) women sustained reportable injuries resulted in an average training time loss of 13 days. Fourty-one percent of these injuries resulted in major profiles and limited all participation in physical training. Significant injuries were: tibial stress fractures in 45, chrondomalacia of the patella (CMP) in 21, hip or neck of the femur stress fractures in 20, sprains in 12, achilles tendonitis in 10 calcaneous, metatarsal stress fractures in 8, and fascial or anterior compartment strains in 6. The injury data wre correleated with prior fitness measures, documenting that a major cause of injury in women can be attributed to the lack of conditioning, greater body weight and body fat and limited leg strength. It was concluded that susceptibility to these potential orthopedic and medical conditions could be identified prior to beginning training and minimized through proper screening and remedial action to initiating a vigorous physical training program. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 16, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA073201
Entities
People
- Dennis M. Kowal
Organizations
- United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine