Medical Surveillance Monthly Report (MSMR). Volume 4, Number 2, February/March 1998
Abstract
Numerous studies over many years 1-3 have documented the medical (e.g., hospitalizations, medical disability discharges) and military operational (e.g., disruption of training) impacts of back pain among soldiers. For this report, the Army Medical Surveillance Activity (AMSA) reviewed the recent hospitalization experience of active duty soldiers with regards to thoracic or lumbar back pain of unspecified etiology. For calendar years 1990 through 1997, records of hospitalizations of active duty soldiers were searched to identify those with principal discharge diagnoses of "lumbago" (International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, code: 724.2 ), "pain in thoracic spine" (ICD-9 code: 724.1) or "backache, unspecified" (ICD-9 code: 724.5). To determine if certain military occupational specialties (MOS) were over- or under- represented among back pain cases, for each MOS series, we calculated an expected number of cases by multiplying the proportional representation of each MOS series in the Army overall by the total number of back pain cases. Variations between the observed and expected number of cases were then calculated for each MOS series, and the statistical significance of variations was assessed based on the chi-square distribution (nominal statistical significance defined as p < .05).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA497206
Entities
People
- John Brundage
- Kimmie Kohlhase
- Lisa Pearse
- Mark V Rubertone
Organizations
- Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center