Adjusting the Load Carried by the Soldier According to Body Composition Measurements and Aerobic Capacity

Not Applicable

• Conditions: Work Load
• Interventions: Other: experiment protocol

• Registration Number: NCT02498223
• Lead Sponsor: Sheba Medical Center

Brief Summary

In order to reduce the physiological and biomechanical loads that the soldiers are exposed to, the investigators want to examine new approaches for distributing the carried loads according to measurements that are specific for each soldier (body composition and aerobic capacity). A functional index (LCI=load carriage index) will provide the commander a tool for better decisions in distributing the same total load among the same number of soldiers, according to each soldier's ability.

Detailed Description

50 healthy, male and female combat soldiers will be recruited. Anthropometry and maximal aerobic capacity will be measured for each participant: Physiological evaluation: the participants will perform physical stress on a treadmill with changing slope and speed, once carrying 40% of their body weight (as the current instructions) and a second time with weight that is calculated by the examined body composition and aerobic capacity based index (LCI). The physiological response will be assessed based on heart rate, lactic acid in the blood and oxygen consumption.

Biomechanical evaluation: the biomechanical response will be measured in the biomechanical lab: pressure on the shoulder and waist from the load and straps, walk analysis and stress scatter in the foot.

By this experiment the investigators want to examine if the new index, the LCI, is physiologically and biomechanically better than the current load distribution instructions.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2015-06-17
• Status Verified: 2015-07
• Study First Submitted QC: 2015-07-12
• Last Update Submitted: 2015-07-12
• Study First Posted: 2015-07-15
• Last Update Posted: 2015-07-15
• Study Start: 2015-09
• Primary Completion: 2016-06
• Study Completion: 2016-11

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: UNKNOWN
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 50

Inclusion Criteria

• Aged 18-25 years.
• Healthy soldiers volunteers.
• Without heart, cardiovascular, metabolic or respiratory illnesses.
• Without known medical illness or medication use that might endanger the participants.

Exclusion Criteria

• existence of any of undesired conditions detailed in the inclusion criteria.
• the physician decision.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
research arm	experiment protocol	50 subjects (healthy soldiers, male and female) from combat units will undergo the experiment protocol.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
oxygen consumption	3 experiment days	oxygen consumption will be monitored continuously through the experimental days by a metabolic system (ERGOTEST 680, ZAN, GERMANY )

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Heart rate	3 experiment days	The heart rate will be monitored using a wearable heart rate monitor (Polar® sensor and heart rate monitor watch).
pressure at the shoulders and the waist	3 experiment days	pressure sensors will monitor the pressure from the load (carried on the back)
walk analysis (composite)	3 experiment days	analysing subject's walk using the Zebris Medical system. this system consist of a treadmill which is a FORCE PLATE that measure the forces between the treadmill and the shoe. the outcomes are diagram of vertical forces and walk pattern.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Sheba medical center; 🇮🇱 Tel-Hashomer, Ramat- Gan, Israel