Self-reported health status of students in-processing into military medical advanced individual training

It is important to be aware of the health and injury status of students in military training settings in order to adequately plan for their progression through required physical training and provision of health care to meet their needs. This paper describes the self-reported health status of students arriving in two medical training Battalions at Ft. Sam Houston. The results revealed that 43% of arriving soldiers had musculoskeletal symptoms and 35% had symptoms that interfered with their ability to accomplish the normal daily activities required as students. The most common sites of symptoms were knee (17 and 18%), foot/toe (16 and 13%), ankle (9 and 10%), and lower leg (9 and 12%) for the 232nd and 187th Medical Battalions respectively. Risk factors for those with musculoskeletal injury (MSI) symptoms that interfere with their abilities to do their jobs include gender, past history of injury, and self-reported stress and fitness levels. Other risk factors for medical specialties other than combat medic include being older (over 24 yrs of age), active duty status, being overweight, and use of smokeless tobacco. This information can help identify soldiers considered at risk of incurring a MSI during AIT. With this knowledge, physical training can be designed to help soldiers achieve fitness without additional injury and health care facilities can be designed to provide appropriate staffing of the health care professionals needed for evaluation and treatment.