It’s Time to Prioritize Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention
Every service member understands the toll that military life takes on the body. The rigorous physical demands of training, long hours spent standing or carrying heavy loads, and the repetitive motions required in many military occupational specialties all contribute to a silent but costly issue—musculoskeletal injuries (MSKIs).
These injuries aren’t just an inconvenience. They are one of the biggest threats to military readiness today, sidelining service members, increasing healthcare costs, and limiting operational effectiveness.
The Cost of Noncombat Musculoskeletal Injuries
According to a report published in Sports Medicine and Arthroscopic Review, noncombat MSKIs cause 25 million days of limited duty and drive more than two million clinic visits per year. The total cost of these injuries exceeds $3.7 billion annually.2
To put that into perspective, MSKIs are responsible for more lost duty days than combat injuries. They are also the leading cause of medical visits among active-duty service members, outpacing even behavioral and mental health conditions.3
When service members are sidelined by injuries, missions are compromised, units become short-staffed, and operational effectiveness declines. In a high-stakes environment where every second counts, we simply can’t afford to let preventable injuries dictate the strength of our forces.
What’s Causing These Injuries?
MSKIs are often cumulative microtrauma injuries—meaning they develop over time due to repetitive stress, overuse, and improper movement patterns. Some of the most common causes include:
- Excessive running and high-impact training
- Heavy load carriage (rucking, lifting, carrying gear)
- Repetitive movements and improper biomechanics
- Poor recovery strategies and inadequate rest
While acute injuries such as fractures and sprains are common, more than two-thirds of all MSKIs are overuse injuries—the kind that can be prevented with proper education, early intervention, and self-guided pain management tools.1
The Solution: Proactive Injury Prevention & Self-Guided Pain Management
If we want to reduce the burden of MSKIs and improve military readiness, we need to shift from a reactive approach to a proactive one.
At Venture Out WellnessTM, we recognize the gap in accessible, stigma-free resources that help service members manage pain early—before it becomes a career-limiting issue. That’s why I created the Clarify & Conquer™ System—an evidence-informed, self-guided approach to identifying and treating pain before it sidelines careers and missions.
How Clarify & Conquer™ Helps Service Members
✔️ Self-Guided Assessment – Learn how to identify the key physical impairments most likely contributing to your pain through a step-by-step system
✔️ Personalized Treatment Plan– Get a customized treatment plan complete with exercises tailored to your self-assessment results and begin reducing pain immediately
✔️ On-Demand Access – No medical appointments required. Learn at your own pace, on your own schedule.
✔️ Mission-Ready Focus – Designed specifically for military service members and first responders who need effective, no-nonsense solutions to stay operational.
By empowering service members to take a proactive role in managing their health, we can significantly reduce injury risk, keep them serving in their critical roles with less pain, and ensure a higher quality of life both now and in their post-service years.
Hope for the Future
Musculoskeletal injuries are a major readiness challenge, but they don’t have to be an inevitability. Through education, self-management tools, and a proactive approach to injury prevention, we can reduce lost duty days, lower medical costs, and keep our nation’s defenders strong and resilient.
If we want to support the longevity, health, and mission-readiness of our forces, we must start by addressing the root causes of preventable injuries. The path to fewer injuries and better outcomes starts with equipping our service members with the tools they need to take control of their health.
Want to take control of your pain? Start your journey with the Clarify & Conquer™ System today. Because you deserve to serve without pain holding you back.
References:
- Bornstein, D. B., Sacko, R. S., Nelson, S. P., Grieve, G., Beets, M., Forrest, L., Hauret, K., Whitsel, L., & Jones, B. (2022). A state-by-state and regional analysis of the direct medical costs of treating musculoskeletal injuries among US Army trainees. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 74, 53-59.
- Defense Centers for Public Health. (2024). Injury prevention for active duty personnel. Retrieved from https://ph.health.mil/topics/discond/ptsaip/Pages/default.aspx.
- Hauret, K. G., Jones, B. H., Bullock, S. H., Canham-Chervak, M., & Canada, S. (2010). Musculoskeletal Injuries: Description of an Under-Recognized Injury Problem among Military Personnel. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 38(1), S61–S70. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/milmed/article/185/9-10/e1472/5762817?login=false.
