The back pain care foundation, a subsidiary of Omega Physiotherapy & Back pain care clinics has drawn up plans to conduct capacity building workshops and therapy interventions throughout the major military formations in the country beginning from August 2017. The theme is ‘Better Back for Gunners’
Many fine military officers and personnel have been sidelined by intractable back pain. They have abandoned active military job because of significant loss of mobility and bodily functions resulting from incessant or prolong pain in the back structure, attended to by some unavailing pain relief medications. They must live with occasional or constant pain resulting from back problem. Many have been taken out of the military or transferred to less active jobs or administrative jobs, just because of this intractable back pain.
The increase in back pain in the military is alarming and the victims are going about their military service silent because they may have received shots of lumbar epidural steroids that may last for months or have been addicted to Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) prescriptions. As a matter of fact, these medical interventions are inadvertently short-lived or transient. The intervention is merely postponing the evil days which shall surely come in form of chronic pain and disability. What I mean, is that the acute pain that was being managed medically shall surely metamorphose to chronic back pain, neck pain, mid back pain or lower back pain.
Most field officers would agree with me that the problem is a major one in their constituency, and often received in terms of relief, the above-mentioned medical interventions. Not surprisingly, the results of these prescriptions were unimpressive. As there are reported cases, less than one quarter of the soldiers experienced a significant pain reduction after treatment, and just insignificant percent of them were able to return to combat or active duty.
While the methods of warfare have changed significantly over the centuries, the type and degree of injury suffered by combatants has remained relatively constant. It is noteworthy, that a significant cause of attrition among military personnel in recent wars is a result not of injuries on the battlefield, but rather to conditions typical of those encountered in the civilian sector, such as accidents and musculoskeletal complaints.
Though soldiers are in better shape than the average civilian by virtue of their military training, they also face high-stress conditions as the ‘bloody’ civilian. That combined with sleeping on cots with little back support, standing on their feet for hours at a time, riding in convoys in crunched positions and wearing heavy body armour during combat, contributes to back troubles
There is urgent need to organise powerful workshop for the entire military on ways to be pain-free while in and after service. This come in form of retraining the instructors, in form of education and strengthening the medical corps by way of seminars and workshops on certain biomechanics of some common bodily activities associated with the military, review of some traditional military exercise that would need modifications and integrate core stabilization exercises. These objective thrust the back pain care foundation is ready to offer as her corporate social responsibility.
United States Army is seriously reviewing the traditional military exercise as back pain challenge is becoming prevalent in the army. Skilled physiotherapists are being drafted along with other related health professions to brainstorm on the best exercise regimen for recruits to minimise the incidence of this monster called back pain which has crept insidiously into the United States military. Nigeria military is not an exception. It is very easy.
My years of interactions with the military as a resource person, revealed that significant percentage of the military personnel who must abandon active military job, do so because of significant loss of mobility and bodily functions resulting from incessant or prolong pain in the back structure, attended to by some unavailing pain relief medications and they must live with occasional or constant pain resulting from back problem.
Do you know that gross lack of precision in warfare situations could partly or wholly be attributed to disabling back pain of personnel involved. In the military hierarchy, back pain has no boarders. The combat capability and operational efficiency of the military can be greatly compromised by back pain disability.
There is, therefore, urgent need by top hierarchy of the medical corps to initiate effective programme for better preventive measures and a more aggressive treatment approach by way of skillful physiotherapy to common back pain in their constituency (military), so as to preserve the strength and maintain efficiency in the military, which is the ultimate objective of modern medical corps.
Most causes of back pain in the military follow accidents, heavy lifting, assumed awkward bodily postures while in service coupled with the unmodified traditional military training exercises. There is urgent need to brainstorm on ways to modify the traditional military exercise of sit-ups and push-ups, by integrating core stabilization exercises.
Performing the traditional ‘sit-ups’ is ineffective because they tend to only strengthen the abdominal muscles closer to the skin (e.g., Rectus Abdominis). Therefore, they do not improve core-muscle strength, in addition, performing traditional sit-ups results in increased loading in the low back that may result in an increased risk of injury and low back pain.
“Sit-ups just train one component of the core muscles, which is the least important component. The deeper the muscle is located, the greater the ability it will have for creating and maintaining a healthy spine, and by large, muscular skeletal health. The core muscles are the deeper stomach muscles – Transversus Abdominus, Multifidus, and Internal/External oblique muscles. Sorry for the medical jargons. These core muscles are the foundation for posture, balance and coordinated movement. Training these muscles will correct postural imbalances, and allow individuals to perform their chosen sport or activity better without injury. The ‘push ups’, only help in developing majorly, the upper part of the body.
Strong core muscles make it easier to do most physical activities. . There is therefore urgent need by top hierarchy of the medical corps to initiate effective programme for better preventive measures and a more aggressive treatment approach to common back pain in their constituency (military), so as to preserve the strength and maintain efficiency in the military, which is the ultimate objective of modern medical corps. These can be achieved by educating and retraining of the military instructors on the imperativeness of integrating core muscle strength in their exercise regimen through consultancy services of skilled physiotherapists. Back pain care foundation can render such at no cost except logistics.
Even the United States Army, are seriously reviewing the traditional military exercise of sit-ups as back pain challenge is becoming prevalent in the Army.
The back pain care foundation welcomes invitations from military formations that would want the back pain awareness campaign programme extended to their constituencies
