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Physical medicine: helping keep Airmen 'fit to fight'

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Mike Andriacco
  • 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --  There is no doubt that deployed environments can be challenging, however, there is help for Airmen here who suffer from symptoms related to physical over-exertion and imbalance. 

For several weeks, Capt. Marie Anger and Staff Sgt. Chrissy Sharpe, members of Bagram's physical medicine clinic, have been meeting with Airmen at the Air Force's Camp Cunningham cardio tent to help ensure they are fit to fight. 

The two of them have not only been on hand to answer Airmen's questions about fitness and physical therapy, but have helped them develop fitness programs that help avoid aggravating past injuries. 

"Whatever the individual complaint is, I will address it," said Captain Anger. "I get a lot of members coming in after 3-4 weeks of deployment, showing signs of overuse injury or strain because of the accessibility of the gyms and time to work out." 

Individuals starting a completely new workout need to start gradually and work their way up to a regular program. 

"My advice to members is to start out slow and easy," said Sergeant Sharpe, a physical medicine technician. "When you try to lift too much weight, too quickly, you cause unnecessary injuries. Also, running on uneven surfaces may cause injury to your knees and cause shin splints. I would recommend starting with a walk-run program. Run about a mile and walk about half a mile. If you have pain, stop. Your body will tell you when it has had enough." 

Airmen trying to keep up a more intense pace of exercise often suffer repetitive strain injuries and related muscle problems. 

"Often guys are only working out specific muscles and don't realize they are creating imbalance by leaving out some of the other muscles," Captain Anger said. "I advise them on how to modify their workout routine and progress appropriately." 

The physical medicine team also provides spine manipulations, pelvic mobility exercises and back stabilization exercises; all adapted to each individual. 

"The people's favorite is a kind of 'spine tune-up,' involving lumbar and thoracic spine manipulations, 'popping' their backs, and stretching out culprit muscles and nerves associated with back pain," said Captain Anger. 

Treatment times are Mondays and Thursdays from 2 until 3 p.m. and Tuesday evenings from 6 until 7 p.m. 

Senior Airman Cara Vandezandschulp, a supply management journeyman here, has used the program several times for treatment of chronic back pain. 

"I walked in there with back pain rating a six on a one to ten pain scale," she said. "I left with about a two. I will be going back often." 

Airman Vandezandschulp also recommends that fellow servicemembers make time to see the physical medicine team if possible. 

"If you have any back problems at all or have never had your back manipulated, you should definitely check them out," she said.