Resistance of military personnel to stress during medical rehabilitation and in the process of readaptation of functional reserves in units

Abstract

Abstract: Objective. The study consists of examining, using LDH activity and serum cortisol concentration as informative biomarkers, the degree of change in the level of resistance of SSO and PPO servicemen with pronounced hypokinesia to a stress stimulus at the stage of medical rehabilitation after injuries and in the process of readaptation upon return to their units. Methods. Forty military personnel with severe hypokinesia after rehabilitation due to injuries underwent a training cycle aimed at readapting functional reserves using “standard” training models developed by instructors in physical education and sports rehabilitation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Two groups of 20 people were formed: servicemen of the Special Operations Forces and Air Defense Forces. To assess the adaptive-compensatory reactions of the participants in the research process, blood biochemical indicators (LDH and cortisol) were used. Results. It was found that in the first 3-5 days after receiving injuries, it was the SSO servicemen who had the lowest basal LDH level and the highest cortisol level in the blood, which was 55.0% compared to the results of the other group. In response to the test load, at this stage, it is in the group of air defense servicemen that we observe the greatest increase in LDH activity in the blood (+26.7%), and the cortisol level exceeds the upper reference limits. It was found that after 3-4 months of rehabilitation, the basal level of LDH in the blood of SSO servicemen increased twice as much compared to the results of the air defense group. However, the basal level of cortisol in the blood shows a decrease among members of the SSO unit (-4.1%), but an increase in the group of PPO servicemen by 10.1% (p<0.05) and, at the same time, a significant decrease (-35.0%) in its concentration in response to a stress stimulus. It has been found that during 90 days of using “standard” models of functional reserve readaptation training in response to test loads, in the group of military personnel from air defense units, as in the previous stage, we continue to observe a decrease in blood cortisol concentration (-16.9%) compared to the resting state. Conclusions. It has been established that the use of “standard” physical therapy protocols during rehabilitation and appropriate training models during the readaptation of reserves by military personnel from air defense units, depending on the characteristics of the nosology, according to the results of laboratory studies, leads to the constant activation of compensatory mechanisms, which complicates the process of maladjustment and functional overload.