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A prospective study on the incidence & aetiological factors of Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome in Naval Recruits
Submitted for the award of Bachelor of Podiatry with Honours.
October 2001
Shaun White
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify the incidence of MTSS in a group of naval recruits undergoing a 10-week training period and to determine if a relationship exists between the incidence of MTSS and anthropometric measures, previous injury and lower extremity structural alignment. One hundred and twelve recruits (88 men and 34 women) were followed prospectively during 10-weeks of basic training. Forty recruits (22 men and 18 women) developed MTSS giving an incidence of 35.71%.
A significant relationship existed between gender and MTSS (p= 0.012), with female recruits more likely to develop MTSS than male recruits (52.9% vs. 28.2%). A risk estimate revealed a relative risk of 2.03. The biomechanical results indicated a greater degree of standing subtalar joint pronation (p=0.03) and a more pronated foot type (p=0.002) in the MTSS group when compared to the control group. A risk estimate established that recruits with a more pronated foot type had a relative risk of 1.70 of developing MTSS during the training period. An increased incidence of MTSS among female recruits requires further investigation, particularly in the area of mixed or separate training programs. Identifying a pronated foot type in naval recruits prior to training may help reduce the incidence of this condition by early intervention of orthotic therapy to control abnormal pronation.
