Citation

Claassen J, Hu Z, Rohrbeck P. MSMR 2014; 21(9): 2-7.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, U.S. Armed Forces Surveillance Center)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

25267598

Abstract

Injuries are the leading cause of healthcare encounters and lost work days among military service members in the U.S. Armed Forces. Fractures often entail a lengthy recovery time and can affect the operational ability of both the individual and the unit. From 1 January 2003 through 31 December 2012, active component service members were diagnosed with 244,248 incident fractures (19.4 per 1,000 person-years[p-yrs]). Hand and foot/ankle fractures were the most common types. During the same surveillance period, recruit trainees were diagnosed with 18,773 incident fractures (66.0 per 1,000 p-yrs). Annual incidence rates among trainees declined 38% from 2003 to 2012. Stress fractures were the most common type in this population. From 1 January 2008 through 31 December 2012, deployed service members were diagnosed with 12,328 incident fractures (16.5 per 1,000 p-yrs). The most common sites of fracture among the deployed population were of the hand, foot/ankle, and arm. Comments address preventive interventions, stress fractures in trainees, gender differences in incidence, and limitations of the study.

Language: en