Association of Physical Inactivity, Weight, Smoking, and Prior Injury on Physical Performance in a Military Setting.

CONTEXT: Although inactivity, being overweight, smoking, and a history of injury are identified as risk factors for poor health and injury, few authors have examined their association on physical performance. Young adults may be more likely to adopt healthier lifestyles if they understand the effect of health behaviors on performance. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of being overweight, smoking, inactivity, and a history of injury with physical performance. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Military population. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Active-duty service members (N = 1466; 1380 men, 86 women; age = 24.7 ± 5.0 years; body mass index = 26.7 ± 3.4 kg/m2). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Participants performed 8 measures (the triple-crossover hop for distance, the 6-m timed-hop test, the Functional Movement Screen, the Lower Quarter Y-Balance Test, the Upper Quarter Y-Balance Test, and the 3-event Army Physical Fitness Test) for evaluation of endurance, strength, muscular endurance, power, agility, balance, and motor control. Participants were categorized based on the number of health risk factors present. Using an analysis of covariance, we assessed the relationship between risk factors and physical performance with age and sex as covariates. RESULTS: Compared with those who had no risk factors (27.9% of men, 34.9% of women), physical performance was worse in those who had 1, 2, or 3 to 4 risk factors present by 4.3%, 6.7%, and 10.3%, respectively. Decrements in performance for those with 3 to 4 risk factors ranged from 3.3% to 14.4%. CONCLUSIONS: An unhealthy lifestyle habit or a history of injury was negatively associated with physical performance. Physical performance decrements were associated with the number of risk factors present. Understanding how risk factors contribute to decreased physical performance may enable clinicians to improve compliance with injury-prevention programs in occupational settings in which a young and relatively healthy workforce may be more concerned about performance than health.

Modifying the Functional Movement Screen Deep Squat Test: The Effect of Foot and Arm Positional Variations.

The functional movement screen (FMS) was developed as an evaluation tool for assessing the fundamental movement patterns believed to be prerequisites for functional activity. However, some of the FMS component movements, such as the deep overhead squat test (DST), likely represent novel motor challenges on which poor performance might reflect inexperience with the task rather than a movement impairment. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of positional variations on DST scores in a population of young, healthy adults. We hypothesized that self-selecting foot positioning, removal of an overhead component, or changing both aspects of the DST would result in improvement in FMS scores. Twenty healthy subjects completed 4 squatting conditions in a counterbalanced sequence to eliminate carry over effects: DST, modified squat with hands at chest level and feet in the DST position (DSTO), modified squat with arms in the DST position and self-selected foot placement (DSTF), and modified squat with hands at chest level and self-selected foot placement (DSTB). A Friedman's analysis of variance and Wilcoxon signed-ranks' post hoc analysis revealed a significant difference between all squat conditions (p = 0.036), between DSTB-DST groups (p < 0.001), DSTO-DST groups (p = 0.004), and DSTO-DSTB groups (p = 0.046). Each modified squat condition had an average score higher than the DST. These findings suggest that the FMS DST might underestimate an individual's ability to squat during functional tasks that involve self-selected foot and arm placement.

Dynamic vs. static-stretching warm up: the effect on power and agility performance.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of a dynamic warm up (DWU) with a static-stretching warm up (SWU) on selected measures of power and agility. Thirty cadets at the United States Military Academy completed the study (14 women and 16 men, ages 18-24 years). On 3 consecutive days, subjects performed 1 of the 2 warm up routines (DWU or SWU) or performed no warm up (NWU). The 3 warm up protocols lasted 10 minutes each and were counterbalanced to avoid carryover effects. After 1-2 minutes of recovery, subjects performed 3 tests of power or agility. The order of the performance tests (T-shuttle run, underhand medicine ball throw for distance, and 5-step jump) also was counterbalanced. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed better performance scores after the DWU for all 3 performance tests (p < 0.01), relative to the SWU and NWU. There were no significant differences between the SWU and NWU for the medicine ball throw and the T-shuttle run, but the SWU was associated with better scores on the 5-step jump (p < 0.01). Because the results of this study indicate a relative performance enhancement with the DWU, the utility of warm up routines that use static stretching as a stand-alone activity should be reassessed.

Risk determination for patients with direct access to physical therapy in military health care facilities.

STUDY DESIGN: Nonexperimental, retrospective, descriptive design. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to ascertain whether direct access to physical therapy placed military health care beneficiaries at risk for adverse events related to their management. BACKGROUND: Military health care beneficiaries have the option at most US military hospitals and clinics to first enter the health care system through physical therapy by direct access, without referral from another privileged health care provider. This level of autonomous practice incurs broad responsibilities and raises concern regarding the delivery of safe, competent, and appropriate patient care administered by physical therapists (PTs) when patients are not first examined and then referred by a physician or other privileged health care provider. While military PTs practice autonomously in a variety of health care settings, they do not work independently within any facility. Military PTs and physicians rely on one another for sharing and collaboration of information regarding patient care and clinical research as warranted. Additionally, military PTs are indirectly supervised by physicians. METHODS AND MEASURES: To reduce provider bias, a retrospective analysis was performed at 25 military health care sites (6 Army, 11 Navy, and 8 Air Force) on patients seen in physical therapy from October 1999 through January 2003. During this 40-month period, 95 PTs (88 military and 7 civilian) were credentialed to provide care throughout the various medical sites. Descriptive statistics were analyzed for total workload, number of new patients seen with and without referral, documented patient adverse events reported to each facility's Risk Management Office, and any disciplinary or legal action against a physical therapist. RESULTS: During the 40-month observation period, 472 013 patient visits were recorded. Of these, 112 653 (23.9%) were new patients, with 50 799 (45.1%) of the new patients seen through direct access without physician referral. Throughout the 40-month data collection period, there were no reported adverse events resulting from the PTs' diagnoses or management, regardless of how patients accessed physical therapy services. Additionally, none of the PTs had their credentials or state licenses modified or revoked for disciplinary action. There also had been no litigation cases filed against the US Government involving PTs during the same period. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this preliminary study clearly demonstrate that patients seen in military health care facilities are at minimal risk for gross negligent care when evaluated and managed by PTs, with or without physician referral. The significance of these findings with respect to direct access is important for not only our beneficiaries but also our profession and the facilities in which we practice.