Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Gender Differences In Load Carriage Injuries Of Australian Army Soldiers, Rob Marc Orr Dr, Rodney Pope Dr

Rodney P Pope

Soldier Load Carriage: An Investigation Into The Load Carriage Conditioning Practices Of The Australian Regular Army, Rob Orr, Rodney Pope, Venerina Johnston, Julia Coyle

Rodney P Pope

No abstract provided.

Soldier Occupational Load Carriage – A Narrative Review Of Associated Injuries, Robin Orr, Rodney Pope, Venerina Johnston, Julia Coyle

Rodney P Pope

This narrative review examines injuries sustained by soldiers undertaking occupational load carriage tasks. Military soldiers are required to carry increasingly heavier occupational loads. These loads have been found to increase the physiological cost to the soldier and alter their gait mechanics. Aggregated research findings suggest that the lower limbs are the most frequent anatomical site of injury associated with load carriage. While foot blisters are common, other prevalent lower limb injuries include stress fractures, knee and foot pain, and neuropathies, like digitalgia and meralgia. Shoulder neuropathies (brachial plexus palsy) and lower back injuries are not uncommon. Soldier occupational load carriage …

Load Carriage And Its Force Impact, Robin Orr, Rodney Pope, Verenina Johnston, Julia Coyle

Rodney P Pope

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 …

Load Carriage: Minimising Soldier Injuries Through Physical Conditioning - A Narrative Review, Rob M. Orr, Rodney Pope, Venerina Johnston, Julia Coyle

Rodney P Pope

Background: With soldiers carrying increasing loads, physical conditioning may provide one means of reducing injuries and increasing the ability to train, maintain and retain soldiers.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to review the current literature on physical conditioning for load carriage and present the findings in a manner that will allow physical conditioning practitioners a means of applying them in a conditioning program.

Methods: Using key search terms, a literature search of academic databases (both civilian and military) was conducted, with additional relevant literature sought from military and civilian colleagues. Gathered papers were assessed against several key criteria …