Squadron's program puts Airmen FIRST Published March 18, 2016 By 2nd Lt. Geneva Croxton 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Last year, the 60th Aerial Port Squadron had the highest percentage of duty-limiting profiles. A majority of those injuries were musculoskeletal, consisting of sprains, strains and injuries due to overuse. The high volume of these injuries attracted the attention of Maj. Denise Lemon, 60th Medical Operations Squadron physical therapist, and Chief Master Sgt. Oren Sieff, 60th MDOS superintendent. Both have backgrounds in physical therapy and rehabilitation. With support from Col. Mark Coakwell, 60th MDOS commander, they introduced the functional injury reduction strength training program, which incorporates multi-directional strengthening, flexibility and cardiovascular endurance exercises. The six-week program was developed from rehabilitation exercises used with patients. "We had seen success with rehabilitation patients, and realized that a majority of the exercises could be preventative," Lemon said. To begin, the FIRST team conducted 10 screening exercises and strength tests. They recorded the data for comparison at the end of the program. The program stresses the importance of using proper mechanics when working out. "Due to the high volume of these injuries, immediate attention into injury reduction programs became the focus of the medical team," Lemon said. "The APS Airmen are critically needed to maintain the high operations tempo and the physical demands of their job in order to expeditiously move cargo from the ground to the air before it is transported all over the world." The FIRST team is a diverse cross-functional medical team, consisting of physical therapists, certified fitness trainers, an aerospace physiologist and a physician. Since beginning the program, the FIRST team has instructed and supervised more than 72 one-hour exercise training sessions with 60th APS personnel. So far, the team has seen a 75 percent increase in muscular flexibility and a 50 percent improvement in back endurance strength. For Airman 1st Class Seneca Barnes, a 60th APS passenger service apprentice, the program is beneficial as it has helped him make working out a daily ritual. "I had never been much of a gym rat, but I played basketball and football in high school," Barnes said. "The program has been great as far as learning how to properly complete exercises. I understand more now about what muscle groups specific exercises are targeting and I am able to complete them properly and slow down." Barnes is in the third week of the FIRST program and notices the benefits. "I can tell a big difference in how my body feels after these workouts," Barnes said. "I push myself to work hard, and notice an hour or so later my muscles feel much better and more relaxed." Having the FIRST team guide the Airmen through exercises is extremely beneficial for the participants. "The coaches are great at breaking down the exercises and explaining what we need to focus on," Barnes said. "They also make the workouts fun, changing the weights and ways to target muscles. These workouts also force me to think about what specific muscle groups I am utilizing before performing each repetition of the exercises." The FIRST program has recently obtained Institutional Review Board approval to use data from subjects for research purposes and support efforts to reduce injuries of assigned personnel in aerial port units across the Air Force. In the future, the FIRST team hopes more squadrons will be able to benefit from the training. "Our goal is to have the trainees eventually become trainers and give back to their squadrons what we provide for them," Lemon said.