Role of Chronic Pain and Physical Fitness in Predicting Susceptibility to Musculoskeletal Injuries in Navy Personnel

Aims: Musculoskeletal injuries (MSKI) are known as one of the most important leading causes of loss of duty time among military personnel. A practical approach to reducing the risk of MSKI and related consequences seems beneficial to identify at-risk personnel. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine whether chronic pain and physical fitness can predict scores of FMS tests in Navy personnel. Instrument Methods: 125 active-duty Navy personnel aged 18-38 participated in this cross‐sectional study at Bandar Abbas City, Iran, in 2021 winter. Susceptibility to MSKI was assessed using Functional Movement Screening, and Physical Fitness was measured using 60-second push-up and sit-up, deep squat jump, and Cooper’s 12-minute run tests. Chronic pain intensity was evaluated using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire-Extended and Visual Analog Scale, respectively. A multiple linear regression model was applied to predict FMS scores. Findings: The mean age, height, weight, and BMI of the subjects were 28.5±8.5 years, 178.9±10.2cm, 76.2±9.5kg, and 24.7±3.3kg/m2, respectively. The sit-up (p=0.002), Cooper’s test distance (p=0.001), and chronic pain index (p=0.04) predicted 83% of the variance of the FMS score significantly.  Conclusion: Sit-up number, Cooper test score, and chronic pain are the predictors of musculoskeletal injuries of Navy active personnel that predicate 83% of the variance of the functional movement screening test.