Musculoskeletal Injuries in Female US Active Duty Service Members: Prevalence/Incidence, Healthcare Utilization, and Cost Analysis Spanning Fiscal Years 2016-2021- MHSRS 2024

Colahan c, pav v, yuan x, isaacson b, wagner l, hando b

Abstract accepted for oral presentation at the 2024 Military Health System Research Symposium

Musculoskeletal injuries (MSKIs) are highly prevalent and costly conditions among active duty Service members (ADSMs). Female Service members sustain MSKIs at higher rates than males. However, lack of female-specific MSKI research in the US Military has limited Department of Defense leaders from assessing and addressing their burden. The purposes of this study were to report the incidence, prevalence, and types of MSKIs sustained by female ADSMs across four Services in direct care (DC) and private sector care (PC) settings from fiscal years (FYs) 2016-21, and to quantify and describe MSKI-related healthcare utilization and private sector costs in females over the same period.

This retrospective, longitudinal population study included ADSMs from the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy. Prevalence/incidence rates for Head/Neck, Upper Extremity (UE), Spine, and Lower Extremity (LE) MSKIs in female ADSMs, associated healthcare utilization, and PC costs were derived by querying electronic health records from the Military Health System (MHS) Data Repository from FY16-21. Utilization associated with MSKIs among females for each Body Region in DC and PC settings was classified into mutually exclusive outpatient encounter categories and acute inpatient stays. PC MSKI-associated costs in Service women were captured for each year, Service, Body Region, and setting.

This is the first population-level assessment of MSKI prevalence, incidence rates, healthcare utilization, and PC costs over a 6-year period for Service women in the MHS. Given the critical role of Service women in the military, MHS leaders, researchers, and public health officials should explore the underlying causes of these disparities in MSKI rates between the sexes, by expanding research efforts to all Services and military settings.