An Army Science Board study from 2001 noted that the weight soldiers carry could decrease mobility and increase fatigue and injury. The report recommended the soldiers carry no more than 50 pounds for any length of time.
However, recent reports have shown that soldiers on extended foot patrols carry between 87 and 127 pounds on average. The Navy research-advisory committee reported that Marines carried an average of between 97 and 135 in a 2007 study.
The extra weight has caused many musculoskeletal injuries that impacts soldiers long after they leave duty.
• Amost one-third of medical evacuations from Iraq and Afghanistan between 2004 and 2007 were related to musculoskeletal, connective-tissue or spinal injuries, according to a Johns Hopkins University study.
• The number of medically retired soldiers with at least one musculoskeletal condition increased nearly 10-fold between 2003 and 2009, according to Army statistics.
• Disability for veterans retiring with degenerative arthritis, cervical strains and other musculoskeletal injuries costs more than $500 million annually, according to the report.
• A 2010 Army report found that 14 percent of soldiers had prescriptions for opiates.
The Army has been trying to improve treatment of musculoskeletal injuries for soldiers by creating a team of physical therapists and other specialists to serve in combat areas.
Read the report from The Seattle Times about Army musculoskeletal injuries.
Read other coverage on musculoskeletal injuries in the Army:
– Stryker Expected to Contract With Brooke Army Medical Center
– AAOS: 5 Points on Musculoskeletal Injuries for U.S. Army During Counterinsurgency Campaigns
