Musculoskeletal Injury Risk and Military Separation Following Serious Injury and Recovery in the Warrior Care and...

Area of Science:

• Military medicine
• Musculoskeletal injury research
• Health services research

Background:

• Military service members have a higher risk of musculoskeletal injuries (MSKI), impacting readiness and leading to separation.
• The Warrior Care and Transition Program (WCTP) aims to aid recovery and reintegration of injured service members.
• The long-term MSKI risk and separation impact after WCTP reintegration are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the risk of MSKI care utilization among WCTP participants who returned to active duty.
• To determine the association between MSKI and military separation after WCTP participation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Medical Operations Data-System Warrior Transition and Military Health System Data Repository (2007-2018).
• Matched WCTP participants (returned to active force) 1:3 with non-WCTP controls.
• Employed logistic, Poisson, and Cox Proportional Hazards regression models to analyze MSKI care and separation risk.

Main Results:

• WCTP participants showed significantly higher odds of inpatient (184%-380%) and outpatient (139%-363%) MSKI care compared to controls.
• The hazard ratio for military separation increased by 190% for WCTP participants with MSKI post-program exit.
• A mental health component to injury increased separation risk, though this risk decreased over time.

Conclusions:

• WCTP participants experienced 2-4 times higher odds and rates of MSKI care.
• Soldiers with mental health components in their injuries faced greater separation risks.
• Continued physical and mental health support is recommended for WCTP participants post-recovery and return to duty.