A team approach to the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries suffered by Navy recruits: a method to decrease attrition and improve quality of care.

In 1991, musculoskeletal injuries prevented 488 recruits from completing basic training at the Naval Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois. These losses cost the Navy an estimated $5 million. To respond to the large number of injured recruits, a multi-disciplinary team was developed in 1992. Along with this team, a three-tiered, systematic approach to injuries was implemented. These changes were associated with an increase in the recovery rate for injured recruits requiring physical therapy, a decrease in the amount of training time lost per injury, and fewer total lost training days due to musculoskeletal problems. In addition, this new system was associated with a decrease in the overall attrition rate for musculoskeletal injuries and a cost savings to the Navy of several million dollars per year.