Blog post from our Kinetic Care Group DPT Chad Rieckenberg: Neck and low back pain amongst fighter pilots.
Neck and low back pain from increased g-force
56-89% of pilots develop neck and low back pain from increased g-force as found in research performed by Poach and O’Conor et al. One would assume that these pilots would develop increased muscle strength with repeated exposure to increase Gz, however that’s not true it actually increases muscle fatigue which can result in injury without sufficient recovery time.
O’Connor, Jill, and Blomgren et al. research studies found a reduction in reports of neck pain amongst fighter pilots occurred when deep neck flexors and extensors become much stronger.
Aboufazeli et al found that strengthening the hip abductors resulted in improved multifidus strength in fighter pilots reducing the occurrence of low back pain post flight.
These findings indicate the need for preventative care such as a neck/low back strengthening program for pilots and 24 hour post flight physical therapy in addition to sufficient rests periods between flights to recover from physical and mental fatigue with the goal of improving the longevity of our fighter pilots.
Chad Rieckenberg
Chad Rieckenberg PT, DPT is a board certified physical therapist with a doctorate in physical therapy from UCSF/CSU Fresno and is currently the senior Doctor of Physical Therapy at Bacci and Glinn Physical Therapy Hanford.