Military medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Self-Managed Strength Training for Active Duty Military With a Knee Injury: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial.
Knee injuries among active duty military are one of the most frequent musculoskeletal injuries and are often caused by exercise or intense physical activity or combat training. These injuries pose a threat to force readiness. Our objective was to assess feasibility (including recruitment and retention rates) of three self-managed strengthening strategies for knee injuries and determine if they resulted in improvements in lower extremity strength, function, pain, and activity compared to usual physical therapy (PT) in military members. ⋯ Knee extensor strength improvements in the COMBO group were significantly higher compared to usual PT. Pain, functional measures, and ADLS all improved during the study with no group differences. Further research is required to confirm these findings.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Infant Feeding Practices, Workplace Breastfeeding/Lactation Practices, and Perception of Unit/Service Support Among Primiparous Active Duty Servicewomen.
Successful breastfeeding provides multiple health benefits to Servicewomen and their infants and has positive indirect benefits to the military. Workplace lactation support influences breastfeeding continuation after a Servicewoman's return to work. ⋯ While almost half of the respondents were still breastfeeding and planned to continue 5-6 months postpartum and the majority of respondents felt "mostly" or "very" supported in their breastfeeding by their unit and the Army, comprehensive physical support for lactation in the workplace was inconsistent. This study provides feedback to inform ongoing implementation of the existing Army breastfeeding support directive.