Physical Training, Fitness, and Injuries: Lessons Learned From Military Studies

Injuries are the leading cause of medical encounters across the U.S. military services resulting in more than 2.0 million clinic visits per year. Almost 50% of military service members experience an injury each year and half of those injuries are caused by physical training (PT), exercise, or sports. To prevent a problem as large and complex as injuries in the military requires a systematic approach. Several key questions must be answered to effectively address a problem such as injuries: (1) how big is the problem? (2) what are the causes and risk factors for the problem? (3) do modifiable risk factors for the problem exist? and (4) what works to prevent the problem? The article discusses leading causes of injuries for U.S. Army populations. It then explores key risk factors for exercise and training-related injuries: (1) the amounts of training, (2) types of training activities, (3) participants level of fitness, and (4) personal health risk behaviors. The article concludes with a review of prevention strategies illustrating interventions that have been shown to be effective, and others that are not effective. The data presented suggest that PT and exercise cause injuries and that modifications of training are most likely to prevent the problem.