Background: Musculoskeletal injuries are common during basic military training, but there is little information on their risk factors. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries among Iranian cadets undergoing basic combat training.

Materials and methods: The study was conducted on 157 cadets in Isfahan. All subjects were evaluated prior to onset of training. Navicular drop, quadriceps (Q) angle, body mass index, and hamstring flexibility were measured in cadets. Also, musculoskeletal injuries occurred during a 7-month period of basic combat training was prospectively recorded.

Results: At least one musculoskeletal injury was suffered by 40% of the cadets during the study period. The results of Logistic regression analysis indicated that subjects with large amounts of navicular drop (OR = 4.16; p=0.038) and Q angel (OR = 1.79; p=0.001), as well as low straight leg raising test (OR = 0.08; p=0.001) were exposed to higher risk of musculoskeletal injuries.  The cut-off points of 0.6 cm and 13.5° were used for navicular drop and Q angle, respectively. This means that students with navicular drop greater than 0.6 cm and Q angel greater than 13.5° had 2.07 and 2.14 times more chances of extremity injury.

Conclusion: These findings showed that multiple anatomic measures such as Q angle and navicular drop can be used to predict cadets at risk for musculoskeletal injuries. Therefore, it is recommended that these indicators be evaluated before accepting cadets.