SAN DIEGO -- A new study to be conducted locally is hoping to find ways to prevent serious injuries caused by the equipment combat-ready Marines carry.

Brady Fotheringham recently graduated from Marine boot camp and has the shoulder to prove it.

"Right on the top of your shoulder … It almost kills your muscle; feels like you're paralyzed," said Fotheringham.

He told 10News shoulder soreness, a common problem that can linger, ended boot camp for some of his fellow recruits. Shoulder injuries are one of the many caused by a Marine's backpack, known as the Individual Load Bearing Equipment pack.

Unlike the older packs, the newer version holds more, which leads to more stress on the body under the weight of more than 100 pounds of equipment.

Amid growing incidents of back and muscle strains, stress fractures, herniated discs and other injuries, a recent Marine survey deemed the pack "unacceptable."

Research at the University of California, San Diego led by Dr. Tim Neuschwander revealed the spine of children can curve under the stress of heavy backpacks. He said Marines and the weight of the pack plus the physical activity can add up to problems.

"The soldiers have [a] waist strap on … that may distribute weight, but there's a significant amount distributed to [the] waist and spine," said Neuschwander.

How much and where that stress goes is one topic of a study about to be launched by local Navy researchers.

By focusing on the points of strain, the researchers hope to determine weight limits, conditioning programs and a new pack design.

The study can't come soon enough for Marines like Fotheringham, who faces a 15-kilometer hike with the pack as part of his next phase of training.

The study will begin in late July and will last about two years.

It will include Camp Pendleton recruits and Marines preparing for deployment.