Conducting surveillance and monitoring of musculoskeletal injuries among military personnel-A case study of the development of a tool for fast jet aircrew

Introduction: Both surveillance and monitoring of musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries and complaints are vital in keeping military personnel in peak condition and minimising operational impact. Reliable and valid surveillance measures are important for all aspects of MSK injury prevention including: establishing the size and severity of the problem, identifying risk factors for MSK injuries/complaints, and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing risk of MSK injuries/complaints. Additionally, monitoring is important for facilitating the early identification of MSK complaints and injury, allowing early intervention, minimising performance decrement and maximising operational capability. However, in order to capture reliable and valid MSK injury/complaints surveillance and monitoring data from military personnel, consideration must be given to their complexities such as their often remote and
international locations; tendency to train and operate despite pain or functional limitations; inconsistent ability to modify their training/operations; and variable access to appropriate medical personnel. Fast jet aircrew (FJA) are an example of military personnel who are affected by such complexities, and commonly suffer from MSK injuries/complaints, particularly neck and back pain, which reduces
performance and operational capability. Within the current FJA literature, there is variability in definitions used to discriminate a recordable MSK complaint or injury, and inconsistency as to what domains should be considered when determining overall severity. The objective of this study was to develop an appropriate tool that could be used for the monitoring and surveillance of MSK injuries/complaints among FJA.