CHEN Jingdi, YE Yushan, LIU Zheng, ZHOU Xuanzi, WU Wei, BI Long, TANG Xiangyu, LIU Tao
Objective To investigate the distribution of and contributors to training-induced knee joint injuries among paratroopers. Methods A stratified random sampling method was used to select 2 583 paratroopers as the subjects. A large-sample cross-sectional analysis was conducted using an epidemiological questionnaire designed to assess knee joint injuries due to parachuting training. Results Among the 2,407 military personnel, 358 sustained knee joint injuries. Among these cases, 293(81.84%)occurred exclusively during ground training, 15(4.19%)during high-altitude parachuting alone, and 50(13.97%)during both phases of training. The most common injuries from ground training were meniscal injury(30.61%, 105/343), followed by synovitis(22.74%, 78/343), musculotendinous injury(19.24%, 66/343), ligament injury(16.91%, 58/343), and osteoarticular injury(10.50%, 36/343). The items of training most likely to cause injury included running(30.61%, 105/343), platform training(16.33%, 56/343), tactical training(16.03%, 55/343), and ring training(12.24%, 42/343). Multivariate analysis showed lengths of service ≤4 years(OR=1.091, 95%CI: 1.043-1.133), daily durations of training >4 hours(OR=1.052, 95%CI: 1.020-1.091), and previous synovitis of the knee joint(OR=3.691, 95%CI: 2.023-6.734)and meniscal injury(OR=3.543, 95%CI: 1.911-6.442)were independent risk factors for knee joint injuries, while previous ankle joint injury(OR=0.482, 95%CI: 0.384-0.613)and wearing knee pads(OR=0.751, 95%CI: 0.623-0.924)were independent protective factors. The most prevalent injuries during high-altitude parachuting were musculotendinous injury(27.69%, 18/65), followed by meniscus injury(23.08%, 15/65), ligament injury(20.00%, 13/65), osteoarticular injury(16.92%, 11/65), and synovitis(12.31%, 8/65). These injuries usually occurred at the moment of landing(96.92%, 63/65), caused by excessive surface wind speed(28.57%, 18/63), crosswind landing(19.05%, 12/63), uneven grounds(17.46%, 11/63), wrong landing postures(12.70%, 8/63), and ground obstacles(11.11%, 7/63). Multivariate analysis showed that lengths of service ≤4 years(OR=1.111, 95%CI: 1.062-1.151), daily training durations >4 hours(OR=1.063, 95%CI: 1.011-1.114), and previous knee musculotendinous injury(OR=2.561, 95%CI: 1.323-4.972)were independent risk factors. Conclusion Parachuting training is likely to cause injuries, so a well-conceived training program involving good planning and effective protection can reduce the incidence of knee joint injuries during parachuting training.