Self-Kinematic Training for Flight-Associated Neck Pain: a Randomized Controlled Trial

מאת: Bahat H.S., German D., Palomo G., Gold H., Nir Y.F.
פורסם ב: Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance
תיאור: BACKGROUND: Flight-associated neck pain (FANP) is a serious problem in fighter pilots. Despite the high impact of FANP there is little evidence for effective management. However, self-kinematic training showed a positive effect in the general population. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a self-kinematic training program using virtual reality in improving neck pain in fighter pilots. METHODS: There were 45 pilots with FANP who were randomized to a control group (N 5 23) or a training group (N 5 22). Training participants were instructed to exercise using a personalized self-training program, for 20 min/wk, for 4 wk. Primary outcome measures were neck disability (NDI%) and mean velocity (s21), and secondary were pain, health status, accuracy, and isometric strength. Assessments were conducted by a blinded assessor and intention-to-treat analysis by a blinded statistician. RESULTS: There were 40 pilots who completed the postintervention assessments, and 35 completed the 6-mo follow-up. Baseline measurements showed mild pain and disability (mean VAS 5 43 6 22.73, NDI 5 17.76 6 9.59%) and high kinematic performance. Compliance with self-training was poor. No differences were observed in self-reported measures and strength. Exercise duration was correlated with NDI% improvement. DISCUSSION: This self-kinematic training promoted kinematic performance, but was ineffective in engaging the pilots to exercise, and consequently did not improve pain and disability. Poor compliance was previously reported in self-training for FANP, suggesting further studies should prioritize supervised training. Considering the high baseline kinematic performance, kinematics does not seem to be a key factor in FANP, and future exercise research should aim for intense strengthening to increase endurance to the high Gz pilots experience. © by the Aerospace Medical Association, Alexandria, VA. All rights reserved.
SDGs : SDG 03  |  יחידות:   | מועד: 2020 |  קישור