Military medicine
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Comparative Study
Quantifying Training Load During Physically Demanding Tasks in U.S. Army Soldiers: A Comparison of Physiological and Psychological Measurements.
There are many ways to quantify the training loads required to perform soldiering tasks. Although indirect calorimetry may provide the most accurate measures, the equipment can be burdensome and expensive. Simpler measures may provide sufficient data, while being more practical for measuring soldiers in the field. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between total relative oxygen uptake (TotalRelVO2) measured by indirect calorimetry during three soldiering tasks, with two field-expedient measures of training load: summated heart rate zone (sumHR) and session rate of perceived exertion (sRPE). ⋯ SumHR and sRPE are acceptable alternatives to TotalRelVO2 when attempting to quantify and/or monitor training load during soldiering tasks.
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The goal of this study is to update the incidence of hyphema in Operation Iraqi (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF). We wanted to assess associated ocular injuries and final visual acuity (VA) in open-globe versus closed-globe injuries with a hyphema. ⋯ Close follow-up in patients with hyphema is important due to the associated development of traumatic cataract and retinal detachment and poor final visual outcome.
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Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has attracted great interest despite lacking empirical support, a manual, and a standardized protocol. Our team of experts in EAT and PTSD developed an eight-session group EAT treatment protocol for PTSD (EAT-PTSD) and administered it to two pilot groups of military veterans to assess initial effects. ⋯ This article presents the first standardized EAT protocol. Highly preliminary results suggest our new manualized group EAT-PTSD appears safe, well-regarded, and well-attended, yielding short-term benefits in symptomatology and quality of life if unclear length of effect. Future research should test this alternative treatment for PTSD more rigorously.
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Altered or abnormal scapular motion has been associated with increased shoulder pain and dysfunction. Fatigue of the scapular stabilizing muscles resulting from repeated arm motion has been reported to alter scapular kinematics, which could result in the clinical assessment of scapular dyskinesis. The purpose of this study was to characterize the effect of repeated arm motion on the development of scapular dyskinesis. The hypothesis was that repeated arm motion will induce a subtle or obvious scapular dyskinesis. ⋯ Repeated shoulder motion increased the frequency of scapular dyskinesis in army ROTC cadets. The cadets that developed scapular dyskinesis also reported greater disability and lower function of the upper extremity. The results provide a link between scapular dyskinesis, upper extremity function, and the strength of the scapular stabilizing muscles. Improving the strength of the scapular stabilizing musculature might reduce the effects of repeated arm motions.
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Empty bullet-related ocular injuries (EBOI) are rare and may result in unfavorable visual outcomes due to both open globe and closed globe injuries. To our knowledge, no reports of such injuries in terms of outcomes have been previously described in the literature. The aim of this study was to describe the treatment performed and ocular outcomes of such injuries. ⋯ The prognosis of EBOI is unpredictable and is dependent on the severity of ocular damage. The best treatment option is prevention of EBOI with protective eyewear.