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Load Carriage And The Female Soldier, Rob Marc Orr, Venerina Johnston, Julia Coyle, Rodney Pope
Load Carriage And The Female Soldier, Rob Marc Orr, Venerina Johnston, Julia Coyle, Rodney Pope
Rob Marc Orr
This paper reviews the physiological, biomechanical and health impacts of load carriage on the female soldier and extends to include issues acknowledged as impacting on the female athlete and hence the female soldier. Physiological factors such as fat mass, strength, aerobic endurance and biomechanical factors such as stride length and forward lean have the potential to increase the energy cost of load carriage and cause injury. The female athlete triad, iron deficiency, pelvic floor muscle dysfunction and military equipment issues can likewise reduce female soldier performance and increase injury risk. Research evidence is presented to inform the development and implementation …
Load Carriage And Its Force Impact, Robin Orr, Rodney Pope, Verenina Johnston, Julia Coyle
Load Carriage And Its Force Impact, Robin Orr, Rodney Pope, Verenina Johnston, Julia Coyle
Rob Marc Orr
Extract:
Just as history records that military personnel have been carrying heavy loads for over two millennia (Orr, 2010), so too does it show their impact on military force sustainment and combat effectiveness. Around 800BC, the heavy loads carried by Assyrian soldiers reduced their mobility and led them to experiment continually with their shields in order to lighten their loads (Gabriel, 2002). Around 400BC, the long marches of Cyrus’ ‘infamous 10,000’, an army of Greek mercenaries accompanied by Xenophon, would have resulted in numerous stress fractures, torn ligaments, muscle damage, blisters and abrasions. While some of these injuries can be …