Current War Injuries

The most common reasons for medical evacuation of military personnel from war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan in recent years have been fractures, tendonitis, and other musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders, not combat injuries, according to an article by Newswise based on the results of a Johns Hopkins study published January 23 in The Lancet.

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Jan 27, 2010 12:00 PM - Researchers looked at the records of more than 34,000 military members who were sent to the military's medical center in Germany, from 2004 through 2007. The top 3 grounds for medical evacuation were musculoskeletal or connective tissue disorders (24%), combat injuries (14 %), and neurological disorders (10%).

It's important for the military to understand the reasons why its personnel are being evacuated and to work to better prevent injuries and illness, says lead researcher Steven P. Cohen, MD. "Wherever possible, medical staff in Iraq and Afghanistan should be trained to aggressively treat problems early before they snowball."

However, Cohen acknowledges that some musculoskeletal problems are difficult to prevent. "Most people doing their jobs in heavy gear, like Kevlar, are going to get overuse injuries like knee pain, hip pain, and bursitis," he says. "But you need to recognize and treat problems before they become severe."