Incidence of cervical and lumbar spine injuries in Brazilian air force helicopter pilots

Abstract

This paper is a brief analysis of the incidence of pain and discomfort caused by flying rotary-wing aircraft. This is due to the excessive vibration exerted by the rotors on the pilot's seat, which is absorbed by the pilot's spine, and the posture adopted by the pilot during the flight due to the layout of the controls. Air forces from various countries such as Israel, Sweden, England, among others, have considered low back pain to be a primary health problem in airmen and admit that this type of problem is detrimental to flight safety, given that the pain acts throughout the flight and can appear at a level that distracts the pilot. The aim of this study was to clarify the incidence of pain and discomfort among rotary-wing pilots in the Brazilian Air Force. To help carry out the study, an online questionnaire with multiple-choice, scale and full answer questions was used, answered by 124 aviation officers belonging to the Brazilian Air Force. Corroborating previous research in this area, we identified that the main discomforts are related to the position of piloting the aircraft, mainly located in the region of the spine. Most of this discomfort lasts from a few minutes to a few hours. The main preventative methods used by helicopter pilots are related to strength training. Thus, we can infer the awareness of pilots and authorities of the importance of physical exercise, thus inferring an important preventive measure.