Military Parachuting Injuries, Associated Events, and Injury Risk Factors

Knapik, Joseph J.; Steelman, Ryan; Grier, Tyson; Graham, Bria; Hoedebecke, Kyle; Rankin, Shawn; Klug, Kevin; Proctor, Stanley; Jones, Bruce H.

doi:10.3357/asem.3061.2011

Cited by 34 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…32 Knapik et al 5 noted a considerably higher injury risk at a landing zone called Geronimo than other drop zones. Possible reasons were not addressed in that article 5 but were addressed in another report 20 using some of the same data. The higher injury risk was likely associated with this single operation involving a night jump and combat loads (factors known to elevate risk) onto a landing zone that was unfamiliar to a large number of participating soldiers.…”

Section: Landing Zonesmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Parachutes with larger canopies reduced the injury risk. 5,20,28 Staggered exits from opposite sides of aircraft with 2 doors reduced injuries at altitude. 27 Exits that were not simultaneous 31 or exits from tailgates 5 reduced the injury risk.…”

Section: Injury Risk Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most authors 22,[26][27][28][31][32][33][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44] collected injuries from available safety or medical records. Other researchers recorded injuries directly on the drop zone, 5,20,24,25,30,35 often with follow-up by examining medical records. 5,24,25,35 In 1 case, 29 how injury data were obtained was unclear.…”

Section: Description Of Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One study was published in 2 journals. 22,23 Three selected studies 5,20,24 involved the authors of this report, indicating a possible conflict of interest. …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…After reviewing the 71 full-text articles, we observed that 25 studies fully met the review criteria. However, 3 studies 5,20,21 used a database to which data were added progressively over time. Given that these reports 5,20,21 contained the same injury risk factors, only the most recent study with the largest number of aircraft exits was considered.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Risk Factors for Injuries During Military Static-Line Airborne Operations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Knapik

Steelman

2016

Journal of Athletic Training

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: To identify and analyze articles in which the authors examined risk factors for soldiers during military staticline airborne operations.Data Sources: We searched for articles in PubMed, the Defense Technical Information Center, reference lists, and other sources using the key words airborne, parachuting, parachutes, paratrooper, injuries, wounds, trauma, and musculoskeletal.Study Selection: The search identified 17 684 potential studies. Studies were included if they were written in English, involved military static-line parachute operations, recorded injuries directly from events on the landing zone or from safety or medical records, and provided data for quantitative assessment of injury risk factors. A total of 23 studies met the review criteria, and 15 were included in the meta-analysis.Data Extraction: The summary statistic obtained for each risk factor was the risk ratio, which was the ratio of the injury risk in 1 group to that of another (baseline) group. Where data were sufficient, meta-analyses were performed and heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed.Data Synthesis: Risk factors for static-line parachuting injuries included night jumps, jumps with extra equipment, higher wind speeds, higher air temperatures, jumps from fixedwing aircraft rather than balloons or helicopters, jumps onto certain types of terrain, being a female paratrooper, greater body weight, not using the parachute ankle brace, smaller parachute canopies, simultaneous exits from both sides of an aircraft, higher heat index, winds from the rear of the aircraft on exit entanglements, less experience with a particular parachute system, being an enlisted soldier rather than an officer, and jumps involving a greater number of paratroopers.Conclusions: We analyzed and summarized factors that increased the injury risk for soldiers during military static-line parachute operations. Understanding and considering these factors in risk evaluations may reduce the likelihood of injury during parachuting.Key Words: parachutes, parachuting, wind speed, night, temperature, parachute ankle brace, terrain, wounds, trauma, musculoskeletal Key PointsRisk factors associated with military static-line airborne operations included night jumps, jumps with extra equipment, higher wind speeds, higher air temperatures, winds from the rear of the aircraft on exit, jumps from fixedwing aircraft, jumps onto certain types of terrain, being a female paratrooper, not using the parachute ankle brace, smaller parachute canopies, simultaneous exits from both sides of an aircraft, entanglements, being an enlisted soldier, and jumps involving a greater number of paratroopers. Trainers, operators, and medical personnel should consider these risk factors in their injury-risk evaluations and during specific airborne maneuvers to help paratroopers arrive safely at the battleground. P erhaps the most ancient of tactical athletes is the infantry soldier. Since the beginning of recorded history, men have faced each other in combat, first with edged and blunt w...

show abstract

Section: Landing Zonesmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Injury Risk Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Description Of Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One study was published in 2 journals. 22,23 Three selected studies 5,20,24 involved the authors of this report, indicating a possible conflict of interest. …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%