Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2002;18(2):99-113.

The natural history and risk factors of musculoskeletal conditions resulting in disability among US Army personnel

Andrew E Lincoln  1 , Gordon S Smith, Paul J Amoroso, Nicole S Bell
Affiliations

The natural history and risk factors of musculoskeletal conditions resulting in disability among US Army personnel

Andrew E Lincoln et al. Work. 2002.

Abstract

We describe the natural history of 13 musculoskeletal conditions requiring hospitalization and identify demographic, behavioral, psychosocial, occupational, and clinical characteristics most strongly associated with disability discharge from the Army. Subjects included 15,268 active-duty personnel hospitalized for a common musculoskeletal condition between the years 1989-1996 who were retrospectively followed through 1997. Back conditions had the greatest 5-year cumulative risk of disability (21%, 19%, and 17% for intervertebral disc displacement, intervertebral disc degeneration, and nonspecific low back pain, respectively). Cox proportional hazards models identified the following risk factors for disability among males: lower pay grade, musculoskeletal diagnosis, shorter length of service, older age, occupational category, lower job satisfaction, recurrent musculoskeletal hospitalizations, more cigarette smoking, greater work stress, and heavier physical demands. Among females, fewer covariates reached statistical significance, although lower education level was significant in more than one model. Modifiable risk factors related to work (job satisfaction, work stress, physical demands, occupation) and health behaviors (smoking) suggest possible targets for intervention.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Cumulative risk of disability discharge, US Army, 1989–1997.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Time to disability discharge among back conditions, US Army, 1989–1997.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Amoroso PJ, Swartz WG, Hoin FA, Yore MM. Total Army Injury and Health Outcomes Database: Description and capabilities. Natick, MA: US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine; Technical Note No. TN97-2, February 1997.
    1. Amoroso PJ, Yore MM, Weyandt B, Jones BH. Total Army injury and health outcomes database: a model comprehensive research database, (Chapter 8) Mil Med. 1999;164:1–36. - PubMed
    1. Badley EM, Ibanez D. Socioeconomic risk factors and musculoskeletal disability. J Rheumatol. 1994;21:515–522. - PubMed
    1. Battie MC, Bigos SJ, Fisher LD, Hansson TH, Nachemson AL, Spengler DM, et al. A prospective study of the role of cardiovascular risk factors and fitness in industrial back pain complaints. Spine. 1989;14:141–147. - PubMed
    1. Berkowitz SM, Feuerstein M, Huang GD. Predictors of occupational low-back disability. J Occup Environ Med. 1999;41:1024–1031. - PubMed

Publication types