Activities associated with injuries in initial entry training

Previous studies have not reported activities associated with injuries in initial entry training (IET) because these data were seldom available in medical records and not contained in electronic databases. This investigation obtained activities associated with outpatient encounters in IET recorded by primary medical care providers at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Data were entered into a standard database that included fields for diagnosis and activity associated with the injury. Fifty percent of the new injury encounters (i.e., exclusive of follow-ups) were not associated with a specific event but were reported as having a gradual onset. Other activities included physical training (16%), road marching (15%), confidence/obstacle courses (5%), and barracks activities (3%). Risks per unit of training time were estimated at 13, 62, and 97 injuries per hour for physical training, road marching, and the confidence/obstacle courses, respectively. The most frequently recorded diagnoses were joint pain (27%), strains (15%), blisters (14%), sprains (13%), and tendonitis (12%). The types of injuries and their anatomical locations were similar to those reported in other IET investigations, although blister-related encounters were higher. This investigation identifies activities with the highest risk of injury in IET and those that should be targeted for injury prevention efforts.