RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Factors associated with low back pain in air force fighter pilots: a cross-sectional study
JF BMJ Military Health
JO BMJ Mil Health
FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group
SP 299
OP 302
DO 10.1136/bmjmilitary-2021-001851
VO 168
IS 4
A1 Sâmara Raquel Alves Gomes
A1 P R F Mendes
A1 L D O Costa
A1 L C C Bulhões
A1 D T Borges
A1 Ld B Macedo
A1 J Brasileiro
YR 2022
UL http://militaryhealth.bmj.com/content/168/4/299.abstract
AB Introduction Low back pain in military pilots is a frequent condition which constantly leads to absences from work, decreased concentration and performance during flight, as well as changes in work functions.Methods This is a cross-sectional analytical study including 28 fighter pilots who underwent an evaluation comprising muscle strength and fatigue resistance, trunk mobility and application of questionnaires to identify associated clinical factors.Results It was observed that 68% of the pilots reported low back pain with an average pain intensity of 3.7 at numerical pain scale in the last week. No significant differences were observed regarding the range of motion and trunk muscle strength when pilots with low back pain were compared with asymptomatic pilots. However, lateral right trunk muscle (mean difference=16, 95% CI 0.6 to 33.0]) and lateral left trunk muscle (mean difference=22, 95% CI 1 to 44) fatigue sooner in pilots with low back pain when the two groups were compared (p=0.04 for both).Conclusion There was a high rate of low back pain complaints among fighter pilots. There was also a significant reduction in fatigue resistance of the lateral trunk muscles in symptomatic pilots when compared with asymptomatic pilots. These factors must be considered in the physical training of this population.Data are available upon reasonable request. All relevant data are in the manuscript. For researchers that meet the criteria to access the confidential data, contact us by email.