Fast-roping injuries among Army Rangers: a retrospective survey of an elite airborne battalion.

Fast-roping is a modified rappelling technique used by civilian and military special operations forces that frequently produces injuries. Highly classified until recently, fast-roping is poorly understood from a medical perspective. This paper presents a brief description of fast-roping and a retrospective survey of the types of fast-roping injuries sustained in a U.S. Army Ranger battalion. Injuries are similar to parachute landing fall injuries, but show a greater propensity for ankle injuries (30% of all injuries). The mechanisms of injury include landing injuries after a controlled descent and falls from a great height when an individual loses control of the rope.

Duke Scholars

Author Dean Curtis Taylor Orthopaedic Surgery