Incidence of acute injury related to fitness testing of U.S. Army personnel.
OBJECTIVE
This study documented the incidence of acute injuries related to the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT).


METHODS
A questionnaire was administered to 1,532 soldiers after they completed a biannual APFT. Self-reported injury responses determined the rates of injuries resulting from the push-up, sit-up, and 2-mile run events and were classified into three categories, i.e., all injuries, performance-limiting injuries, and time-loss injuries.


RESULTS
A total of 117 soldiers (injury rate, 7.6%) reported sustaining an injury (all injuries), with 11% attributed to the push-up event, 56% to the sit-up event, and 32% to the run event. Forty-six of these injuries reportedly limited performance (injury rate, 3.0%), and 11 soldiers received a duty-limiting profile (time-loss injury rate, 0.7%), which did not differ among events. Injury rates were not significantly associated with the number of sit-ups performed per week or the number of days per week a soldier participated in physical training and were not greater for soldiers who trained specifically for the APFT. History of previous injury was a significant risk factor for injury.


CONCLUSIONS
The push-up, sit-up, and run events of the APFT do not pose a considerable acute injury risk to active duty soldiers.
U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Military Performance Division, Natick, MA 01760, USA.
Rachel
R
Evans
Katy
K
Reynolds
Joseph
J
Creedon
Michelle
M
Murphy
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014938:Work Capacity Evaluation; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology