Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Oct;37(5):706-12.
doi: 10.5535/arm.2013.37.5.706. Epub 2013 Oct 29.

Degenerative changes of spine in helicopter pilots

Joo Hyeon Byeon  1 , Jung Won Kim, Ho Joong Jeong, Young Joo Sim, Dong Kyu Kim, Jong Kyoung Choi, Hyoung June Im, Ghi Chan Kim
Affiliations

Degenerative changes of spine in helicopter pilots

Joo Hyeon Byeon et al. Ann Rehabil Med. 2013 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the relationship between whole body vibration (WBV) induced helicopter flights and degenerative changes of the cervical and lumbar spine.

Methods: We examined 186 helicopter pilots who were exposed to WBV and 94 military clerical workers at a military hospital. Questionnaires and interviews were completed for 164 of the 186 pilots (response rate, 88.2%) and 88 of the 94 clerical workers (response rate, 93.6%). Radiographic examinations of the cervical and the lumbar spines were performed after obtaining informed consent in both groups. Degenerative changes of the cervical and lumbar spines were determined using four radiographs per subject, and diagnosed by two independent, blinded radiologists.

Results: There was no significant difference in general and work-related characteristics except for flight hours and frequency between helicopter pilots and clerical workers. Degenerative changes in the cervical spine were significantly more prevalent in the helicopter pilots compared with control group. In the cervical spine multivariate model, accumulated flight hours (per 100 hours) was associated with degenerative changes. And in the lumbar spine multivariate model, accumulated flight hours (per 100 hours) and age were associated with degenerative changes.

Conclusion: Accumulated flight hours were associated with degenerative changes of the cervical and lumbar spines in helicopter pilots.

Keywords: Aircraft; Degenerative changes; Spine; Vibration.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

References

    1. Griffin MJ. Handbook of human vibration. 1st ed. London: Academic Press; 1990.
    1. Seidel H. Selected health risks caused by long-term, whole-body vibration. Am J Ind Med. 1993;23:589–604. - PubMed
    1. Ishitake T, Miyazaki Y, Ando H, Matoba T. Suppressive mechanism of gastric motility by whole-body vibration. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1999;72:469–474. - PubMed
    1. Staines WR, McIlroy WE, Brooke JD. Cortical representation of whole-body movement is modulated by proprioceptive discharge in humans. Exp Brain Res. 2001;138:235–242. - PubMed
    1. Cohen R. Injuries caused by physical hazards. In: LaDou J, editor. Current occupational and environmental medicine. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2004. pp. 122–151.

LinkOut - more resources