Vail, Colo.-based Steadman Philippon Research Institute and the Naval Medical Research Institute San Antonio are collaborating with the Department of Defense to provide data on musculoskeletal injuries and diseases.
Here are five notes:
1. Musculoskeletal injuries account for over half of reported training and battlefield injuries and disproportionately affect the fighting force. Through this partnership, Steadman Philippon Research Institute will research musculoskeletal injures and diseased as well as onset osteoarthritis.
2. The interventions developed through the collaboration will serve as a model for osteoarthritis treatment for civilian, active and veteran military populations.
3. The partnership is in line with the Defense Health Agency's recent National Defense Authorization Act, calling for better integration between civilian and military organizations in support of readiness, research and patient care.
4. ACL injures among U.S. military service members occur at a rate 10 times higher than the U.S. population as a whole. Osteoarthritis is the leading cause of disability for active military and disabled veterans and disorders of the knee are some of the highest causes of long term dysfunction, outlining the need for
further research and treatment in this population.
5. The Department of Defense is looking to reduce musculoskeletal injures, enhance combat readiness and provide soldiers with an opportunity to perform at their optimal, without the risk of injury.