U.S. Army Holistic Health and Fitness Programs Outperform Traditional Physical Therapy Models for Soldiers

Area of Science:

• Military Health System
• Sports Medicine
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• The U.S. Army's Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) program offers a multidisciplinary approach to improve access to care and rehabilitation outcomes.
• Traditional physical therapy practices in military hospitals may present limitations in timely access and comprehensive care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the clinical outcomes and efficacy of the H2F program against standard physical therapy.
• To evaluate the impact of H2F on access to care and rehabilitation for musculoskeletal injuries in active duty personnel.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study analyzing 4,555 medical records of active duty personnel with musculoskeletal injuries.
• Comparison of H2F rehabilitative care with standard physical therapy care at Fort Liberty, NC.
• Outcome measures included time to evaluation and changes in pain, disability, and function scores (NPRS, GROC, MODI, LEFS, NDI, SPADI).

Main Results:

• H2F patients experienced evaluation 33.8 days sooner than those in standard care (P < .001).
• Significant improvements were observed in H2F patients for NDI, ODI, SPADI, LEFS, NPRS, and GROC scores.
• These results indicate reduced pain and enhanced function and recovery with the H2F program.

Conclusions:

• Embedding physical therapists within H2F units enhances access to care and improves rehabilitation outcomes for soldiers.
• The H2F multidisciplinary model offers a framework for optimizing soldier readiness through reduced time to care and enhanced recovery.
• Further research is recommended to explore broader implementation of H2F across military installations.