Military Service and Physical Capital: Framing Musculoskeletal Disorders Among American Military Veterans Using Pierre Bourdieu’s Theory of Cultural Capital

There are 22 million veterans in the U.S. Armed Forces. Past research on the musculoskeletal health of military veterans has explored the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) but largely avoids situating findings within a theoretical framework. This article uses Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital to contextualize veteran’s greater rates of MSDs compared to nonmilitary civilians. Cultural capital consists of objectified, institutional, and embodied capital that can be transubstantiated to capital in other areas. Embodied or physical capital is central to military service, and military veteran status is beneficial in accessing social and institutional capital. Using the 2012–2014 National Health Interview Survey, we show veterans are more likely to report activity-limiting MSDs, and at younger ages, compared to nonveterans. Physical capital is central to, and impaired by, status as a veteran