Medical Encounters During the United States Army Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course

Abstract

Introduction The Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) is an extremely physically and mentally demanding 19- to 20-day course designed to determine whether Soldiers are qualified to enter the Special Forces Qualification Course. As a first step to understand medical problems during SFAS, this study examined injuries, illnesses, and activities associated with injuries during the course. Materials and Methods Medical events during the SFAS course were compiled from Sick Call Trackers (a log of medical encounters maintained by medical personnel in the field) and Chronology of Medical Care (Standard Form 600). Descriptive statistics were calculated for each injury and illness and injuries were compiled by the activities performed when the injuries occurred. Results Of the 800 Soldiers who volunteered for the study, 38% (n = 307/800) and 12% (n = 97/800) experienced one or more injuries and/or illnesses, respectively. The most common injuries were blisters and abrasions/lacerations with incidences of 20% (n = 158/800) and 13% (104/800), respectively. The most common illnesses were respiratory infections, other infections, contact dermatitis, and allergies with incidences of 7% (n = 57/800), 2% (n = 14/800), 2% (n = 14/800), and 2% (n = 13/800), respectively. Among all injuries recorded (n = 573), the most common were blisters (46%), abrasions/lacerations (24%), pain (not otherwise specified) (19%), tendonitis (3%), and sprains (3%). Among all illnesses recorded (n = 133), the most common were respiratory infections (56%), allergies (11%), contact dermatitis (11%), and other infections (11%). Most injuries were experienced during land navigation (44%), team events (20%), and foot marching (11%), running (6%), and the obstacle course (5%), but when the estimated time involved for each event was considered, activities with the highest injury rates were the obstacle course (65 injuries/hr), running (27 injuries/hr), the Combat Readiness Assessment (activity involving combat-related tasks) (20 injuries/hr), and foot marching (16 injuries/hr). Conclusion The major limitations of this investigation were: 1) the low specificity with regard to many of the diagnoses/complaints; and 2) the fact that the medical problems reported here are only those seen by medical care providers and are likely an underestimate of the total morbidity in the SFAS course. Soldiers often self-treat and some may be reluctant to see medical personnel because of how it might affect their rating in the course. Nonetheless, this investigation alerts medical personnel to the injuries and illnesses to expect, and public health workers and leadership with activities to target for injury prevention measures during SFAS.

Factors Associated with Musculoskeletal Injuries While Hiking with a Backpack at Philmont Scout Ranch

“…This was expected, given our clinical experience with these participants, and is similar to injury rates of military soldiers undergoing rigorous outdoor training (when blisters are excluded as a type of injury). 8 Many injuries were of a basic nature that could be successfully managed in the backcountry setting without the expertise of a medical professional. Lacerations and abrasions accounted for nearly half of the basic injuries and none of the advanced injuries, offering reassurance that they can be managed with first aid skills of the participants or leaders.…”

A profile of injuries suffered by female soldiers serving in the Australian Army

“…The traditional (though changing) common gravitation of female personnel to netball and male personnel to soccer and rugby may play a role in this finding. Likewise, the similar (rather than lower, as for other natures of injury) rate of lacerations in male soldiers, thought to be common due to traversing through vegetation or obstacle courses, may be due to a higher representation of males in combat units, which routinely perform these actions [ 37 ]. Roles in these positions may include unarmed combat, bayonet assault training and munitions handling, which are known to cause laceration injuries [ 38 ].…”

Occupational allergic contact dermatitis induced by adhesives used for prevention of chafing in the military forces—A case report

“…Occupational dermatitis in the army has been reported previously. 1,2 In this case report the use of adhesives for primary prevention of chafing of the feet caused severe allergic contact dermatitis.…”

“…In 2021, the armed forces prepared a prolonged march. To prevent chafing, 1,2 the conscripts were recommended to apply adhesives on their feet. Taping of the feet has been used for decades within the armed forces but is also recommended on social media.…”

“…Patch test reading at D3/4.Like other skin diseases, chronic contact hand dermatitis (CHD) (which includes allergic and irritant contact dermatitis) might be influenced by psychological stress (PS). Stress-induced physiological responses, regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, can result in increased cortisol secretion, negatively affecting immune functioning 1. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore PS and its effect on quality of life and disease severity in CHD patients with objective and subjective measuring tools/biomarkers.…”