Musculoskeletal disorders in main battle tank personnel

Abstract

Purpose: To compare the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders of personnel in the main battle tank (MET) units in the Danish army with those of personnel in other types of army units, and to investigate associations between job function in the tank, military rank, and musculoskeletal problems. Method: Art epidemiologic crosssectional questionnaire-based examination of an exposed group (MBT personnel) and a reference group (army personnel from other units than MBT units) was conducted. Outcome measures were 1-year prevalence of pain in the anatomical locations of neck, shoulder, low back, knee, and ankle. Results and conclusions: There were only 4 women in the MBT group; as a consequence, female personnel were excluded from the study. The participation rate was 58.0% (n = 184) in the MBT group and 56.3% (n = 333) in the reference group. The pattern of musculoskeletal disorders among personnel in the main battle tank units of the Danish army was not significantly different from that in other types of units (infantry, signal, combat service support, engineers, and artillery). Working as a gunner less than 2 years increased the risk of reporting neck pain (p = 0.011) and working as a loader increased the risk of reporting shoulder pain (p = 0.017). Reprint and Copyright © by Association of Military Surgeons of U.S., 2009.