Injuries associated with strenuous road marching.
Injuries were recorded during and up to 12 days after a maximal effort road march. Light infantry soldiers (N = 335) carried a total load of 46 kg over a 20 km course. Twenty-four percent of the soldiers suffered one or more injuries, resulting in 44 days of limited duty. All injuries involved the lower extremities and/or the back. Foot blisters and back problems were the most common complaints (35% and 23%, respectively, of the total injuries). These data indicate that units without recent road marching training can expect a high incidence of injuries as a result of a single demanding road march.
Knapik
J
J
Occupational Medicine Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA 01760.
Reynolds
K
K
Staab
J
J
Vogel
J A
JA
Jones
B
B
D000328:Adult; D000413:Alaska; D019567:Back Injuries; D006801:Humans; D007869:Leg Injuries / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D005082:Physical Exertion; D014481:United States; D016138:Walking; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000209:etiology*