Air Force Technical School Causes of Musculoskeletal Injury, 2025

INTRODUCTION: Phase II training, occurring between basic training and permanent duty assignment, occurs at units that provide specialty skills required by operational military units. Injuries and their subsequent treatment utilize potential training time, potentially delaying their transfer to operational units. Identification of when and where phase II trainees are injured is the first requirement to mitigate the effect of injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All 81 Training Wing (TRW) Phase II trainees presenting for medical care for the first time and with a musculoskeletal injury between November 2024 and May 2025 were included. Trainees provided the location of injury (either before or after arrival to the 81 TRW), whether the injury occurred during physical fitness training, the cause of injury, and how many days after arrival to the 81 TRW they presented for medical care. RESULTS: 510 trainees were included. Most trainees at Phase II training at 81 TRW were injured after arrival at the installation (67.5%). Median time from arrival to injury presentation was significantly longer for injuries that occurred after arrival than for injuries that occurred before arrival (75 vs. 32 days, difference = 42 days, 95% CI 23 to 60 days, P < 0.001). Running accounted for most injuries (53.8%, 95% CI 48.6%-58.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Most injuries during phase II are because of running. Interventions to lower running-related injuries are expected to yield the greatest reduction in musculoskeletal injuries in Phase II trainees.