Dealing with heavy loads day in and day out

Military interveners are required to carry very heavy loads on their backs. They are required to do so day in and day out over a long period of time and the result is injuries that have many direct and indirect costs to the military. To make matters worse, the amount of equipment and thus weight that a soldier must bear is on the rise (from 97 to 135 pounds). Carrying these loads over repeated combat tours is causing many musculoskeletal injuries. When soldiers are injured they become non-deployable.

- Increased training costs
- Impacts on operational efficiency of the unit
- Reduced mobility
- Increased hospitalization and outpatient visit costs
- Increased rehabilitation and physical therapy costs
- Long term negative impacts


Increased training costs - When soldiers become non-deployable filling units for upcoming deployments becomes challenging. New recruits need to be prepared which has a direct impact on training costs.

Impacts on operational efficiency of the unit – If a soldier injures their knee one day and can’t return out the next day, it impacts the whole unit since each individual has a key role to play in day-to-day operations. Leadership is forced to scramble to find solutions to keep the teams active.

Reduced mobility – The weight that soldiers carry impacts their mobility in terms of the speed and distance they can travel and their ability to overcome obstacles.

Increased hospitalization and outpatient visit costs – The Washington Post (February 1st, 2009) reported that musculoskeletal injuries are the main cause of hospitalization and outpatient visits for active duty soldiers, leading to about 880,000 visits per year based on Army data.

Increased rehabilitation and physical therapy costs – After returning from tours many soldiers are required to undergo months of physical therapy and rehabilitation to get back into shape. Once healthy, there is no guarantee that they can return to active duty and often must be deployed to different jobs to remain in the army.

Long term negative impacts - The Express (July 25th, 2010) recently reported in an article entitled "British Soldiers suffer injuries from too heavy weights” Danish Army figures reveal that 15 per cent of its 750 strong contingent in Afghanistan returned home with long-term injuries. Half of those were caused by heavy equipment, made worse by the addiction to painkillers needed to cope with the load."

"Weight of Combat Gear is Taking Toll"

The Washington Post (February 1st, 2009) recently reported in an article entitled "Weight of Combat Gear is Taking Toll"  “Army leaders and experts say the injuries – linked to the stress of bearing heavy loads during repeated 12-or 15-month combat tours- have increased the number of soldiers categorized as non-deployable. Army personnel reported 257,000 acute orthopedic injuries in 2007, up from 247,000 the previous year."

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