Nearly 1,400 U.S. troops were found to have concussions or mild brain injuries in Afghanistan and Iraq this year under a program that forces servicemembers to take a break from combat when exposed to a blast or other jarring incident.
The military has pulled about 9,000 troops from combat for short periods of time to look for signs of brain injury after blasts that caused no obvious wounds, according to data given to USA TODAY.
Most of the servicemembers were OK; those with symptoms of dizziness, headaches and difficulty processing thoughts were kept out of combat until the problems went away, the Army said.
The mandatory examination is part of a treatment program put in place last year to uncover hidden and subtle damage to the brain caused by exposure to blasts -- injuries that would have likely gone undiagnosed.
"The data we are getting from theater demonstrates how important it is to get to the root of the problem early in order to attack it," said Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who pushed for the policy.
Under the rule, troops caught within about 165 feet of a blast must be pulled from combat for 24 hours and examined for signs of concussion. The data on the results of that policy are from August 2010 -- when the treatment plan for concussions was initiated -- through June.
Prior to the policy, the servicemembers would likely have stayed in the fight because it was common practice to try to shake off the effects of a blast and keep fighting, said physician Michael Kilpatrick, a Pentagon health official.
But research showed that such wounds were potentially serious, and that a second blow to an injured brain could cause permanent damage.
Army Col. Jamie Grimes, a neurologist deployed to Afghanistan and director of the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, said 90% of the cases of mild trauma went away after a few days.
Injured troops were often moved to special concussion treatment centers, Grimes said where they were monitored and treated until doctors concluded that their brain injuries had healed, a period that usually lasted about a week. Those with persistent problems were sent home.
"There's just a greater awareness nationally that this is a much more serious thing than we've taken it for in the past," Kilpatrick said, "that it's not just a badge of courage to get knocked out, get up and keep going, but get the care you need at the time and then go forward."
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