Prevention of flight-related neck pain in military aircrew

Military pilots and rear aircrew members are occupations with several occupational exposures that might cause neck pain. In addition to the negative impact of neck pain on health, safety is one of the main concerns for the military aviation, because neck pain may interfere with flying performance. It might be obvious that flight-related neck pain should be prevented whenever possible.
The main objective of this thesis was to study neck pain in military aircrew especially of the Royal Netherlands Air Force and, in doing so, to generate knowledge about the extent of the problem, to identify associated factors concerning the aircrew’s capacity and work situation, and to learn about aircrew’s experiences to find and test feasible preventive measures. A renewed protocol to optimise aircrew’s helmet fit was tested and evaluated on the experienced neck load and neck pain during night flights. Recommendations for research, practice and industry are given.