Background and Purpose: Tactical athletes are described as individuals in service professions with unique physical demands and occupational performance requirements; common examples include law enforcement, rescue, and military personnel. Tactical athletes may routinely encounter high stress, threatening situations that can increase incidence of environmental and behavioral conditions. The burden of musculoskeletal injury (MSI) is amplified in tactical populations, accounting for upwards of 75% of limited-duty cases in the military. Similar statistics have been published in law enforcement and rescue professions, with 4-40 times increased risk compared to other occupations. Physical demands of tactical athletes may include load carriage, navigating unusual environments, and performance in hazardous situations. The purpose of this case report is to highlight modifications to a rehabilitation management plan to address the needs of a tactical athlete using a case of a tactical athlete recovering from distal femur fracture following gunshot trauma as an example. Case Description: This case follows a 44-year-old male law enforcement officer following Open Reduction Internal Fixation (ORIF) of a distal femoral fracture due to gunshot trauma. Intervention: General rehabilitation progression of the patient with special consideration to occupation-specific modifications for return-to-duty (RTD). Outcomes: RTD is the single most published outcome measure in tactical populations. The Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) was also used. LEFS scores improved, but the patient remained on leave. Discussion: Limited literature exists on RTD parameters for the tactical population. Environmental and behavioral factors must be considered in the prognosis of treatment; final RTD measures require task-specific analysis of occupational demands. Future research is warranted into the rehabilitation needs of the tactical population and application of RTD parameters.
Dissertation
Physical Therapy Management of Distal Femoral Fracture in the Tactical Athlete and Associated Physical Therapy Considerations: A Case Report
University of Iowa
Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) , University of Iowa
Autumn 2022
Free to read and download, Open Access
Abstract
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Physical Therapy Management of Distal Femoral Fracture in the Tactical Athlete and Associated Physical Therapy Considerations: A Case Report
- Creators
- Nicholas K Yencer - University of Iowa
- Contributors
- Laura Frey-Law (Advisor) - University of IowaMichael Petrie (Advisor) - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Project Type
- Case Report
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) , University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science
- Date degree season
- Autumn 2022
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- 9 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2022 Nicholas K Yencer
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Doctor of Physical Therapy Case Reports
- Record Identifier
- 9984560349402771
Metrics
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