SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii -- "I've got pain! (Pain!)...in my feet!...in my neck!…in my back!". Ironically, popular cadences often tell a true story about working out and running in the Army.
Most Soldiers at one point or another have had issues with injuries or pain when performing basic exercises or day-to-day duties. Soldiers of the 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division got the chance to experience what can be done to prevent injuries during physical training and when in the field.
Mobility Workout of the Day (MWOD) is a program created by Dr. Kelly Starrett, a Physical Therapist and author from California. The program implements and teaches proper stretching techniques and cool down drills to prevent injuries from workouts and regular activities that the average warfighter does.
Over 60 Soldiers from 2-14 Cav. participated in the MWOD Tactical course. Dr. Daniel Matta, a former Army Physician's Assistant and member of the MWOD team, taught this course. The course began with a few physical assessments by Matta to identify each individual's techniques in running and stretching.
Soldiers then broke into teams of two and used elastic bands to stretch areas of the legs and groin to loosen their bodies in preparation for proper running techniques.
"The program is really a self-help tool that we can use to combat pain and prevent injury while increasing readiness across our Battalion" said 2nd Lt. Nathan Dunn, the medical officer with 2-14 Cav.
The course began with a block of instruction focused on the leadership within the unit, said Dunn. The idea is to have leaders understand how to prevent injury and proper techniques. This will allow all Soldiers to have an increased level of readiness in terms of deploying. A physically healthy unit is a unit that is ready to meet the needs of our nation.
Preventing injury in every day activity is not as painstakingly hard as many think explained Matta. People can do most of the stretches and warm-ups, as well as, cool downs in as little time as 15 minutes. They can even do it while watching a television show or movie to save time in their busy schedules.
The course is an eight-hour block of instruction that is designed for tactical populations. The course includes topics such as decreasing running related injuries and self-treatment exercises to empower Soldiers to take care of themselves and their team.
The second half of the course was the Coach's Course. This was taught to medical personnel of 2-14 Cav. Since these professionals have an understanding of musculoskeletal first aid and how to recognize and treat common training injuries of the joints and back, they could leverage MWOD in helping preventing future injuries.
"Roughly 58% of all the musculoskeletal injuries within our battalion have occurred while on duty," said 1st Lt. Joshua Milby, a physician's assistant with 2-14 Cav. "The hope with MWOD is that they can equip the medical platoon with the knowledge and tools to prevent these injuries and increase readiness."
"Our intent is to implement mobility and movement training into our weekly Physical Readiness Training sessions," said Milby. "Based on current research, should result in a fitter, healthier, and more deployable 2-14 Cav."
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