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The Eagle Tactical Athlete Program Reduces Musculoskeletal Injuries in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
Timothy C Sell1, John P Abt1, Takashi Nagai1
1Neuromuscular Research Laboratory, University of Pittsburgh, 3830 South Water Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203.
Unlabelled:
The Eagle Tactical Athlete Program (ETAP) was scientifically developed for the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) to counter unintentional musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs).
Purpose:
To determine if ETAP would reduce unintentional MSIs in a group of 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Soldiers.
Methods:
ETAP-trained noncommissioned led physical training. 1,720 Soldiers were enrolled (N = 1,136 experimental group [EXP], N = 584 control group [CON]) with injuries tracked before and after initiation of ETAP. The International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes were analyzed and described the anatomic locations, anatomic sub-locations, onset, and injury types. McNemar tests compared the proportions of injured subjects within each group.
Results:
There was a significant reduction in the proportion of Soldiers with preventable MSIs in the EXP (pre: 213/1,136 (18.8%), post: 180/1,136 (15.8%), p = 0.041) but not in the CON. In addition, there was a significant reduction in stress fractures in the EXP (pre: 14/1,136 (1.2%), post: 5/1,136 (0.4%), p = 0.022) but no significant differences in the CON.
Conclusion:
The current analysis demonstrated that ETAP reduces preventable MSIs in garrison. The capability of ETAP to reduce injuries confirms the vital role of a scientifically designed training program on force readiness and health.