Iranian Journal of War and Public Health

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiologic situation of the lower-limb injuries and the risk factors in the veterans with the ankle-foot neuro-masculoskeletal disorders.

Instrument & Methods: In the descriptive cross-sectional study, 795 veterans with the ankle-foot neuro-masculoskeletal disorders were studied via census method in 8 Iranian provinces between 2013 and 2015. Demographic information, neuromusculoskeletal disorders of the ankle/foot, the frequency of foot surgery, accidents resulting in injury within the year leading to the study, hospitalization and having more than one injury were collected. Data was analyzed by SPSS 22 software using Chi-square, Pearson correlation, ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests.

Findings: Limited ankle dorsiflexion range was observed in the right foot and the left foot of 282 (35.5%) and 259 (32.6%) persons, respectively. Short left foot and short right foot were observed in 302 (38.0%) and 285 (35.8%) persons, respectively. Most common peripheral nerve lesions in right foot were sciatica 81 (10.2%) and peroneal 79 (9.9%) and in left foot were peroneal 83 (10.4%) and sciatic 61 (7.7%). During the past year of the study, 97 (12.2%) had accidents resulting in physical injuries. Significant relationship was observed between the type of injuries except ankle-foot with number of work-absences days (p=0.01), hospitalization with other injuries (p<0.001) and disability percentage with the accidents during the year ended to the study (p<0.001).  

Conclusion: The limited ankle-foot dorsiflexion range and the short lower-limb are the most frequent disorders in the veterans with the ankle-foot neuro-masculoskeletal disorders. In addition, the associated injuries are some of the most important risk factors leading to any accidence might be faced by the veterans.