Musculoskeletal Head and Neck Injuries in U.S. Active Duty Service Members: Prevalence/Incidence, Health Care Utilization, and Cost Analysis Spanning Fiscal Years 2016–2021

Background: Active duty service members (ADSMs) of the U.S. Armed Forces are uniquely at risk for musculoskeletal injuries (MSKIs) of the Head/Neck region, including the eye and face, from training with head gear, donning Kevlar, operating aircraft, and maintaining sitting or standing postures for prolonged durations. The purposes of this descriptive study were to report the prevalence/incidence, health care utilization, and health care costs attributable to Head/Neck MSKIs across the Services from fiscal years (FYs) 2016 to 2021. Methods: This was a retrospective, longitudinal population study, including ADSMs from the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy. Prevalence and incidence rates for Head/Neck MSKIs, associated health care utilization, and private sector costs were obtained by querying electronic health records from military treatment facilities, private sector care (PC) claims, and theater medical data from October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2021 (FYs 16–21), using the Military Health System Data Repository. Utilization associated with Head/Neck MSKIs in both the direct care and PC settings was classified into mutually exclusive outpatient encounter categories and acute inpatient stays. PC costs related to Head/Neck MSKIs were captured for each year. Results: In FY21, 109,683 ADSMs sought care for Head/Neck MSKIs, representing 7.3% of the U.S. Armed Forces. The prevalence of Head/Neck MSKIs ranged from 6.9 to 7.8% during FY16–21, with the highest annual prevalence among the Air Force (8.0–9.4%) and Army (7.9–8.8%). Within direct care across the services, Soldiers presented for the highest proportion (45.9–47.9%) of outpatient encounters for Head/Neck MSKI annually. The Air Force relied most heavily on PC for outpatient Head/Neck MSKI care, which accounted for $9,134,741 in PC costs and comprised 37.2% of all PC encounters in FY21. Conclusions: This retrospective, descriptive study established prevalence/incidence, health care utilization, and PC costs for Head/Neck MSKIs across the services from FY16–21, emphasizing the burden of Head/Neck MSKIs among the U.S. Armed Forces, with PC costs amounting to $42,912,940 in FY21 alone.