A Description of Injuries in Men and Women while Serving in Afghanistan

Musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) are the most common cause of ambulatory visits in the deployed setting. Research done on deployed populations have focused mostly on men. The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to describe physical demands and MSIs among male and female soldiers in a Brigade Combat Team during a 12-month deployment to Afghanistan. Data on occupational tasks and injuries were collected from the infantry and brigade support battalions. Out of 57 women, 22 had MSIs (39%) and for the 536 men, 120 (22%) had MSIs resulting in limited duty. The average limited duty was 7.5 and 13 days/injury for women and men, respectively. The most commonly injured body region for the men was the low back (32%) and the low back (22%) and foot and ankle (22%) for women. The activity associated with MSI for women was physical training (25%) and for men it was contact with the enemy (23%). Physically demanding duties, more distance walked, and heavier average load and objects lifted all increased the risk of injury in women. Only lifting heavier weights increased the risk in men. The women appear to have less tolerance to physically demanding work such than their male counterparts.