Abstract details
| Abstract-ID: | 1910 |
| Title of the paper: | The impact of physical fitness and readiness on acute and overuse injuries in Swiss conscripts |
| Authors: | Oeschger, R., Gilgen-Ammann, R. |
| Institution: | Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen SFISM |
| Department: | Monitoring & Evaluation |
| Country: | Switzerland |
| Abstract text | INTRODUCTION: It is well known that basic military training (BMT) is physically and mentally demanding for the conscripts [1]. The current study aims to examine how conscripts in the Swiss Armed Forces physically prepare to BMT, what resources they utilize or what training methods are being used, if they feel “military ready” at the beginning of BMT and if a physical preparation for BMT results in less injuries during BMT. METHODS: At the beginning of the BMT 532 male conscripts (20 ± 1 years, 178 ± 7 cm, 73.8 ± 11.1 kg) of communications intelligence, armored infantry, rescue technicians and fusilier infantry performed objective physical fitness tests (PFT) [1] and answered questionnaires to assess physical activity behavior and the use of supported training methods prior to the start of BMT. Additionally, musculoskeletal injuries suffered during the BMT was provided by medical records. Binomial logistic regressions were performed to predict the presence of an overuse or an acute injury based on points reached in the PFT, subjective readiness, MET-minutes of moderate physical activity before BMT (‘MET moderate’), and MET-minutes of vigorous physical activity before BMT (‘MET vigorous’). RESULTS: A 19% of the Swiss conscripts changed their physical activity training behavior due to the upcoming BMT and 10% of conscripts utilized a smartphone application as a training aid. A total of 194 (36.5%) conscripts were injured, 70 acute and 143 overuse injuries during BMT were reported. The Spearmans rank correlation between PFT and subjective readiness was r = 0.37, between subjective readiness and ‘MET moderate’ r = 0.19, and between subjective readiness and ‘MET vigorous’ r = 0.41. The binomial logistic model revealed the PFT as a significant predictor for overuse injury (ß = -0.023, SE = 0.011, z = -2.213, p = 0.027, OR = 0.977). However, subjective readiness (p = 0.89), ‘MET moderate’ (p = 0.37), and ‘MET vigorous’ (p = 0.91) were not significant predictors. None of the investigated variables were significantly associated with acute injuries (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The PFT was found to be a significant predictor for overuse injuries in Swiss conscripts during BMT. This highlights the importance of adequate physical preparation in reducing the risk of overuse injury during BMT. The moderate correlation between the volume of vigorous physical activity and subjective readiness suggests that Swiss conscripts who engaged more in vigorous physical activity before BMT felt more ready for the military service. However, this feeling of readiness did not translate into a reduced injury risk. Only 10% of conscripts used a training application. This may indicate an unused potential of technology in supporting physical activity for BMT preparation. Military organizations could benefit from offering digital tools or training platforms to enhance conscripts’ physical readiness even before the start of BMT. [1] doi.org/10.1055/s-0031-1295445 [2] doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001106 |
| Topic: | Health and Fitness |
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