It’s common knowledge that serving in the Armed Forces is physically demanding. Unfortunately, with service men and women constantly pushing the limits of their physical abilities, injuries are frequent.
About 80% of these injuries occur in the lower extremities, and many of these are a result of overuse, typically from excessive running and/or carrying heavily weighted packs. Osteoarthritis (OA) in the knee is a particularly common problem, and occurs in the military at a rate many times higher than it does in the civilian population.
Given this high rate of OA among active duty military, it’s logical to conclude that a significant number of personnel are always in pain. This pain is a distraction that can compromise their ability to focus on their duties and tasks.
Typical Treatment Options
Treatments for OA include non-medicinal options such as rest and physical therapy, but both of these options take the service member away from their mission. Opioids are the next level of relief, but they are not ideal for long-term issues such as arthritis, and of course they carry an inherent addiction risk. Anti-inflammatories and steroids can offer some short-term relief, but they too have side effects if used over the long term.
Sombra Offers A Solution
Topical analgesics developed by Sombra Professional Therapy Products have proven effective for reducing musculoskeletal pain – including pain from osteoarthritis – and have been trusted by chronic pain sufferers for more than 20 years.
Applying a Sombra analgesic to the affected area provides four to six hours of freedom from joint pain (or, at the very least, can reduce the pain to a manageable level). Members of the military, as well as veterans, will find the warming gel to be very effective at reducing OA pain.
In conclusion…
By adding Sombra Warm Therapy Gel to its arsenal of treatment options, the DoD can reduce expense, improve job performance and enhance the well-being of active duty and retired staff members without adding drug side effects.
For a copy of the complete white paper from which this post was derived, click here.
