Article

The US Army has traditionally utilized bent-knee sit-ups as part of
physical training and testing. It is unknown whether the short-term effects of a
core stabilization exercise program without sit-up training may result in
decreased musculoskeletal injury incidence and work restriction compared with
traditional training.
The objective of this study was to explore the
short-term effects of a core stabilization exercise program (CSEP) without sit-up
training and a traditional exercise program (TEP) on musculoskeletal injury
incidence and work restriction. DESIGN: The study was designed as a cluster
randomized trial. SETTING: The setting was a 16-week training program at Fort Sam
Houston (San Antonio, Texas). PARTICIPANTS: The study participants were soldiers
with a mean age of 22.9 years (SD=4,7, range=18-35) for whom complete injury data
were available for analysis (n=1,141). INTERVENTION: Twenty companies of soldiers
were cluster randomized to complete the CSEP (10 companies of 542 soldiers) or
the TEP (10 companies of 599 soldiers). The CSEP included exercises targeting the
transversus abdominus and multifidus musculature. The TEP comprised exercises
targeting the rectus abdominus, oblique abdominal, and hip flexor musculature.
MEASUREMENTS: Research staff recorded all injuries resulting in the inability to
complete full duty responsibilities. Differences in the percentages of
musculoskeletal injuries were examined with chi-square analysis; independent
sample t tests were used to examine differences in the numbers of days of work
restriction. RESULTS: Of the 1,141 soldiers for whom complete injury data were
available for analysis, 511 (44.8%) experienced musculoskeletal injuries during
training that resulted in work restrictions. There were no differences in the
percentages of soldiers with musculoskeletal injuries. There also were no
differences in the numbers of days of work restriction for musculoskeletal
injuries overall or specific to the upper extremity. However, soldiers who
completed the TEP and experienced a low back injury had more days of work
restriction: 8.3 days (SD=14.5) for the TEP group and 4.2 days (SD=8.0) for the
CSEP group. LIMITATIONS: A limitation of this study was the inconsistent
reporting of injuries during training. However, the rates of reporting were
similar between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of musculoskeletal
injuries was similar between the groups. There was marginal evidence that the CSEP resulted in fewer days of work restriction for low back injuries.

Langue : ANGLAIS