AB1452-HPR Epidemiology and risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries and medial tibial stress syndrome in brazilian military school students
Authors: M.A.S. Melloni, I.B. Coimbra
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2013)

<h3>Background</h3> The personnel engaged in physical fitness programmes can suffer from many injuries due to sustained training. <sup>1,2</sup> Musculoskeletal injuries related to exercise are the main cause of premature discharge from military service and temporary disabilities. <sup>2,3</sup> When the risk factors are well-known and identified, prevention strategies can be better targeted and become more effective.<sup>4,5</sup> However, there is still a lack of complete knowledge regarding the aetiology of exercise related to musculoskeletal disorders, which makes the establishment of prevention methods empiric for such injuries. <sup>6</sup> <h3>Objectives</h3> To determine the injury rates related to physical training occurring at a Brazilian military school, to investigate the risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries in general and for the most prevalent musculoskeletal injury observed, and to assess the quality of life of injured participants and the improvement in quality of life after treatment. <h3>Methods</h3> 498 military students were investigated during an 11-month period and were subjected at the beginning of the military service to evaluations, including physical fitness tests and anthropometric measurements. The variables included in the model were: running test, push-up test, pull-up test, sit-up test, swimming test, height, weight, and body mass index. The injury data were obtained in the physiotherapy service, and a comparison between the injured and uninjured group was conducted. The quality of life of the injured participants was evaluated using the SF-36 questionnaire, which was applied again thirty days after treatment had begun. <h3>Results</h3> Musculoskeletal injuries were exhibited by 28.31% of the students. Of these injuries, 62.41% were overload injuries. Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS) was the most prevalent injury. None of the studied variables represented risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries in general. Lower body mass index and lower weight were found to be risk factors for Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome. The quality of life of the injured participants improved substantially after treatment. <h3>Conclusions</h3> The studied variables are not risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries in general, while low BMI and low weight are risk factors for MTSS. Physiotherapy treatment does an important role in the quality of life of injured militaries. <h3>References</h3> Morken T, Mageroy N, Moen BE. Physical activity is associated with a low prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in the Royal Norwegian Navy: a cross sectional study. BMC Musculoskeletal disorders 2007; 8:56. Mehri NS, Sadeghian M, Tayyebi A, et al. Epidemiology of physical injuries resulted from military training course. Iranian Journal of Military Medicine 2010;12(2):89-92. Taanila H, Hemminki AJM, Suni JH, et al. Low Physical Fitness is a strong predictor of health problems among young men: a follow-up study of 1411 male conscripts. BMC Public Health 2011; 11:590. Murphy DF, Connolly DAJ, Beynnon BD. Risk factors for lower extremity injury. A review of the literature. Br J Sports Med 2003; 37:13-29. Willems TM, Clercq DD, Delbaere K, et al. A prospective study of gait related risk factors for exercise-related lower leg pain. Gait &amp; Posture 2005. Thacker SB, Gilchrist J, Stroup DF, et al. The prevention of shin splints in sports: a systematic review of literature. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2001; 34(1):32-40. <h3>Disclosure of Interest</h3> None Declared