Physical Fitness and Injuries Before and After Deployments of the United States (US) Army to Afghanistan and Iraq

Physical training and avoidance of injury is critical to maintaining the health and performance of soldiers. Anecdotal reports from United States (US) Army unit leaders and healthcare providers suggest deployed soldiers experience losses in fitness and muscle mass and have higher injury rates compared to those experienced prior to deployment. Confirming or countering these reports is particularly important since soldiers are called upon for repeated deployments.
See also ADA562561. RTO-MP-HFM-181 Human Performance Enhancement for NATO Military Operations (Science, Technology and Ethics) (Amelioration des performances humaines dans les operations militaires de l'OTAN (Science, Technologie et Ethique)). RTO Human Factors and Medicine Panel (HFM) Symposium held in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 5-7 October 2009., The original document contains color images.