Potential influence of long-term medication on physical performance in the context of long-term rehabilitation process in soldiers: a retrospective cohort analysis.
Jennifer-Daniele Schmitz, Roman Korte, Andreas Lison and 2 others
PMID 41341664WHAT IT FOUND
Soldiers with PTSD taking multiple long-term medications showed lower maximum physical performance during rehabilitation.
This decline was not seen in soldiers with only somatic injuries or in the overall group. The study links medication burden to reduced fitness capacity in PTSD specifically.
Key findings
01Among patients taking three or more long-term medications, maximum performance was significantly lower than in those taking no medication.
02In the PTSD subgroup, patients on medication had significantly poorer maximum performance compared to unmedicated patients, a difference not observed in the somatic trauma group.
03There was no significant difference in maximum performance between the PTSD and somatic trauma groups overall, but unmedicated PTSD patients performed better than unmedicated somatic patients.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study is retrospective and relied on paper-based records without direct patient contact, meaning medication use was not verified through interviews and self-medication (like herbal supplements) may have been missed. The sample size for the somatic trauma group was small (n=45), which may limit the ability to detect medication effects in this population. There was a very low number of female participants (8 out of 172), so sex-specific effects of medication on performance could not be assessed. The study design cannot prove causation; it is unclear if the medication caused the lower performance or if the severity of the condition requiring medication caused both.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that medication universally reduces physical performance in all rehabilitation patients. The decline was specific to the PTSD subgroup and those with polypharmacy; soldiers with somatic injuries showed no significant performance difference based on medication status.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →