Abstract
Objectives: The aim of this cross-sectional epidemiologic study was to investigate the prevalence and distribution of musculoskeletal disorders causing unfitness to Turkish Military Service.Methods:This study has been carried out by examining the medical reports of 1.777.500 people who applied to the Turkish Armed Forces for military service between 2009-2011. Age and geographic region of individuals were compiled and organized in groups. Musculoskeletal disorders were classified mainly as fracture sequel, spine disorders, absence of phalanges, extremity amputation, aggressive or multiple benign tumors of bones and pes planus.Results:Unfitness to military service caused by musculoskeletal disorders was found to be 6.53‰ in 2009, 7.10‰ in 2010 and 7.28‰ in 2011. The prevalence of musculoskeletal diseases has increased by years. The prevalence of fracture squeal by years was found to be 2.83‰ in 2009, 3.10‰ in 2010 and 3.03‰ in 2011. In this study, the most common musculoskeletal disorders were: limitation of joint mobility (0.89‰), degeneration of joint surface (0.69‰), lower and upper limb discrepancies (0.60‰), posterior fusion surgery (0.59‰) and the absence of the phalanges in hand (0.51‰). We found an increase in both the prevalence of posterior fusion surgery and the absence of the phalanges in study group.Conclusion:These results has given information about severe musculoskeletal disorders among young adult male in Turkey. New studies including young adult female will add important information to our knowledge about musculuskelatal problems in our community.
Highlights
The occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders in the community may be congenital or due to acquired etiologies
Kilic found a prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders of 6.94 per every thousand people in a similar study that he had carried out on young adult males in Turkey in 1999.5 A prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders of 41.1 per thousand was found in a study that Taanila conducted on the people on the period of recruitment.[6]
In the study that Lawrence et al have carried out in the United States of America (USA), it was found that the musculoskeletal diseases affected approximately 15 % of the society (40 million) in 1995 and it was predicted that 18.2% of the society (59.4 million) will be affected by 2020.7 Salaffi et al reported that the overall prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions in the general adult population was 26.7% and being significantly higher among women than men in Italy.[8]
Summary
The occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders in the community may be congenital or due to acquired etiologies. Musculoskeletal disorders are the main cause of disability in adults and are one of Correspondence: May 15, 2014 September 11, 2014 September 29, 2014 the most significant parameters to understand the level of public health.[1]. In Turkey, military service is compulsory for men.[2] Every man has to undergo a medical examination as specified in Health Ability Regulation (HAR) of Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) before starting his military service. Military service has not to be done by those with health problems diagnosed in their medical examinations that may cause be inconvenient for military service. As a result, these data gives detailed information about the major health problems among young adult males in Turkey
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
