Injuries in military parachuting: a prospective study of 4499 jumps

Abstract

In this prospective study, the parachuting injuries which occurred during 2031 jumps in basic courses of free fall were compared with the injuries occurring during 2468 jumps for reserve paratroopers on training exercises. Fifty-eight injuries were recorded in 51 paratroopers. The ankle was most commonly affected, and 80 per cent of the injuries involved the lower extremity. Only 14 per cent of the injured troopers suffered severe injuries (fractures, knee ligament ruptures). The injury rate for paratroopers on basic courses (19.7 injuries per 1000 jumps) was significantly higher ( P<0.0001) than for those on training exercises (4.5 injuries per 1000 jumps). Similar observations were made for severe injuries (2.0 versus 1.2 injuries per 1000 jumps, respectively). The injury risk increased with age. Most of the injuries occurred on landing, and about 70 per cent were mainly caused by improper landing fall technique. The rate of serious parachuting injuries was low for Norwegian paratroopers.