The United States military maneuvers in austere environments at a high operational tempo. Operations and training are accomplished in harsh environments pushing the warrior to their physical and mental limits. One vulnerable group of service members are initial entry trainees (IET). This cohort steps into a realm of physical, mental and emotional stress applied by drill sergeants, extreme physical training, high operational environment, and unpredictable circumstances.1, 2 One specific environmental injury at basic training is rhabdomyolysis. This has been observed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, the leading IET/basic training facility for the United States Army.1 Rhabdomyolysis is an unforeseen, temporary roadblock for young men and women …show more content…
In 2016, Fort Jackson ranked third among all military installations for heat illnesses with 911cases and tenth in rhabdomyolysis with 47 cases.1 Additional relevance for understanding rhabdomyolysis is because the condition has a much higher clinical presentation and incidence among military personnel compared to their civilian counterparts.1, 2, 4, 6 The incidence among U.S. Army Soldiers is 7-8 cases/10,000 compared to a 2/10,000 among civilians.2,4 The focus in an Army training environment is to return the trainee to duty, physically fit to train or deploy. The challenge remains that no clinical or evidence-based guidance exists for the patient to return safely to duty.3, 5 Time translates to finances with the average cost to train a soldier at basic training ranging from …show more content…
The first objective is to develop a case definition pertaining to rhabdomyolysis pertinent to Fort Jackson through monitoring and analyzing exertional rhabdomyolysis trends on Ft. Jackson. The second objective is to define the environmental exposures associated with exertional rhabdomyolysis cases among basic trainees on Ft. Jackson. The third objective is to describe the methods to mitigate and prevent rhabdomyolysis on Ft. Jackson. Based on the review and analysis, complete findings and recommendations will be leveraged to enhance the prevention of rhabdomyolysis among Ft. Jackson initial entry trainees and to minimize health risks associated with