Tactical Athletes, their profile, their injuries and their recovery

Unlike the sporting athlete, the tactical athlete competes in a constantly changing and unpredictable environment. As such, these specialist athletes are exposed to a variety of workplace specific hazards that can cause injuries and fatalities. Furthermore, the tactical population can include members spanning a wide range of ages, fitness levels, occupational requirements and occupational experience; from the new recruit to the experienced officer and from the recreational fitness novice to the elite sports athlete.

The nature of injuries spanning tactical athlete populations (military, police and firefighters) is often similar due in part to common occupational requirements, like load carriage. For military and police personnel in particular the lower limbs present as the leading site of injury. While occupational tasks, like marching and long walking may play a role in these injuries, many of the injuries are not caused by these occupational tasks alone but rather sport and physical training. In the Australian Defence Force sport (including AFL, soccer, Rugby and Touch Football) and physical training are the two leading causes of soft tissue injury and of working days lost. As such, tactical athletes are susceptible to occupational, sporting and fitness injuries. When treating and managing these injuries, complexities and difficulties arise, most notably ongoing occupational requirements and mind-set. These occupational requirements and cultural mind-sets can nullify standard treatment approaches and present challenges for recovery and reconditioning.