The association of blisters with musculoskeletal injuries in male marine recruits

A prospective study examining the epidemiology of blisters and, in particul ar, the association of blisters with subsequent injuries was conducted invo lving 2,130 male US Marine Corps recruits participating in initial physical training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California. From January 1993 through September 1994, recruits experienced an incidence of 2 .05 blisters per 100 recruit-months. Recruits with blisters were 50% more l ikely to experience an additional training-related injury. Blisters, in com bination with other related injuries, resulted in 159 clinic visits, 103 da ys of assigned light duty, and 177 lost days of training. This loss of time cost a minimum of $29,529. Extrapolating to the annual population of recru its, this represents an approximate annual expense of $690,000. Aggressive blister prevention and management in this setting has the potential to grea tly reduce morbidity and fiscal costs.