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Musculoskeletal Injury in Reserve Officers' Training Corps: A Report From the Athletic Training Practice-Based
Kara N Radzak1, JoEllen M Sefton2, Mark K Timmons3
1Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine
|October 5, 2020
Summary
Musculoskeletal injuries (MSKI) are common in Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets, particularly in the knee and ankle, often occurring during physical training (PT) with insidious onset. Advanced cadets and those in their third year showed higher injury rates.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Military Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets face rigorous physical demands similar to active duty personnel.
- Musculoskeletal injuries (MSKI) are a known risk of physical activity, but incidence in ROTC programs remains largely undocumented.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the patient and injury demographics of MSKI within five university Army ROTC programs.
- To identify common injury patterns and risk factors among ROTC cadets.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive epidemiological study utilizing a retrospective chart review of electronic medical records.
- Data collected from athletic trainers across five clinical sites within the Athletic Training Practice-Based Research Network (AT-PBRN) from 2017-2019.
- Analysis included summary statistics of injury characteristics, including mechanism, location, and diagnosis.
Main Results:
- A total of 364 unique injuries were documented.
- The knee (n=71) and ankle (n=57) were the most frequent injury locations.
- Injuries most commonly occurred during physical training (PT) with insidious onset (n=146) and noncontact mechanisms (n=115).
Conclusions:
- The knee is the most common site for MSKI in ROTC cadets, with insidious onset injuries being prevalent.
- Higher injury rates were observed in advanced fitness groups (Alpha) and third-year cadets.
- Most MSKIs are linked to ROTC training, emphasizing the need for civilian healthcare providers to understand ROTC physical demands and injury characteristics.
