University of Kentucky researchers secured a $4.2 million grant Monday to look for ways to prevent training injuries among elite U.S. military members. It’s part of a new campus initiative to reduce injuries from athletic fields to military training fields.
UK’s team will work directly with the Marines’ special operations command, university officials said. The Defense Department grant will back research to help optimize performance among those elite forces. The goal is to help them during military service and enable them to lead healthy, productive lives after their time in the military, UK officials said.
Service members “say they want to be able to play ball with their kids, and because of what we do, when they retire they’re going to be able to do so,” UK President Eli Capilouto said at the announcement in Lexington. “This work will help support the brave souls on the front line … who defend our country.”
Military training injuries are often similar to those sustained by athletes, including torn ACLs, rotator cuff injuries, lower back pain, shoulder dislocation and ankle sprains, school officials said.
The award is the largest ever received by UK’s College of Health Sciences, campus officials said.
It coincides with the establishment of the UK Sports Science Research Institute on the university’s Lexington campus.
The scientific center will focus on ways to prevent and treat sports injuries and concussions. Other goals include optimizing sports performance and improving musculoskeletal health and rehabilitation. The institute is scheduled for completion next summer.
