Predicting Lower Extremity Injury in Iranian Army Rangers using Functional Performance Tests

During military exercises, lower extremity injuries is very common. However there are limited data about risk factors and predictors of these types of injuries. The purpose of this study was to predict lower extremity injury in Iranian army rangers using the functional performance tests.
This population study included 141 ranger cadets who were selected by convenience sampling from the Isfahan University complex in 2015. All the subjects were evaluated before the beginning of the rangers training. The functional performance tests of Y balance and triple hop test were used for evaluation. Musculoskeletal injuries resulting through a 7-month basic combat training period were recorded prospectively.
During the observation period, 42% of the rangers suffered from at least one musculoskeletal injury. Logistic regression modeling showed that the rangers with Y balance less than 81.5% of their limb length were 2.25 times more likely to have a lower extremity injury. Also, the rangers with a triple-hop distance less than 70% of their height were 2.3-fold more likely to have a lower extremity injury.
It can be concluded that functional performance tests can predict lower extremity injuries during the basic combat training periods. Therefore, it is recommended that these tests be carried out before recruiting the rangers.