Thoolen Stijn J J, van den Oord Marieke H A H
Center for Man in Aviation, The Royal Netherlands Air Force, Soesterberg, The Netherlands.
Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2015 Nov;86(11):936-41. doi: 10.3357/AMHP.4303.2015.
Neck and back pain in fighter pilots remains a serious occupational problem. We hypothesized that recent advances such as the joint helmet mounted cueing system (JHMCS) in modern air combat might contribute to the development of spinal complaints in F-16 pilots.
Surveyed were 59 F-16 pilots of the Royal Netherlands Air Force who were compared to 49 F-16 pilots who filled in a similar questionnaire in 2007. The prevalence of neck and back pain, work situations, and capacity of the pilot were analyzed.
The self-reported 1-yr prevalence of regular or continuous neck and lower back pain in 2014 were 22% and 31%, respectively, compared to both being 12% in 2007. Age, military flying experience, total number of flying hours, flying hours on the F-16, and total number of hours flown with night vision goggles (NVG) were significantly higher in 2014. In 2014, 95% flew with JHMCS, compared to 0% in 2007. Flying with JHMCS (88%), NVG (88%), type of flight (63%), and sitting posture (50%) were the most reported causes of flight-related neck pain. Sitting posture (89%), duration of flight (56%), and seat (44%) were among the reported causes of back pain.
The increasing trend of neck and lower back pain might be caused by multiple changes in both the work situation and capacity of the pilots since 2007. Future innovations will increase the load on the pilot's spine. To successfully address their spinal problems in the future, fighter pilots must be monitored continuously.
战斗机飞行员的颈部和背部疼痛仍然是一个严重的职业问题。我们推测，现代空战中的一些最新进展，如联合头盔提示系统（JHMCS），可能会导致F-16飞行员脊柱疾病的发生。
对荷兰皇家空军的59名F-16飞行员进行了调查，并与2007年填写类似问卷的49名F-16飞行员进行了比较。分析了颈部和背部疼痛的患病率、工作情况以及飞行员的能力。
2014年自我报告的经常或持续颈部和下背部疼痛的1年患病率分别为22%和31%，而2007年两者均为12%。2014年，飞行员的年龄、军事飞行经验、总飞行小时数、F-16上的飞行小时数以及使用夜视镜（NVG）飞行的总小时数显著更高。2014年，95%的飞行员使用JHMCS飞行，而2007年为0%。使用JHMCS飞行（88%）、使用NVG飞行（88%）、飞行类型（63%）和坐姿（50%）是报告最多的与飞行相关颈部疼痛的原因。坐姿（89%）、飞行持续时间（56%）和座椅（44%）是报告的背部疼痛原因。
自2007年以来，飞行员工作情况和能力的多重变化可能导致颈部和下背部疼痛呈上升趋势。未来的创新将增加飞行员脊柱的负担。为了在未来成功解决他们的脊柱问题，必须对战斗机飞行员进行持续监测。
