MAKING INJURY PREVENTION A HABIT - Naval Aviation News Year in Review
First-Of-Its-Kind Virtual CNATRA App to Aid in
Head, Back Injury Prevention
https://navalaviationnews.navy.mil/P...YIR%202024.pdf (6Mb)
QUOTE: “The HABIT program is divided into two options: the ‘High G Series,’ completed in 12 minutes, and the ‘Relative Flight Series,’ completed in eight minutes. Each set of stretches and movements can be incorporated into specific Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization (NATOPS) checklists.”
"...The Head and Back Injury Training (HABIT) program seeks to increase mission performance by providing flight instructors and Student Naval Aviators (SNA) with the resources and training necessary to reduce the chance of injury by preparing their bodies for cockpit environment. This includes a collection of stretches, exercises and workouts developed specifically to enhance mobility and address the stressors frequently experienced by pilots and aircrew. The HABIT program is governed by CNATRA Instruction 6200, which requires these procedures be included as part of the pilots’ briefing. By developing a virtual exercise program within the Navy App Locker to supplement this program, HABIT workouts can be incorporated into pre- and post-flight briefs with the goal of injury prevention and long-term health support for Naval Aviators.
Lt. Cmdr. Taylor Burton, CNATRA AMSO and deputy surgeon, saw many neck and back injuries during his time in the EA-18G Growler community. These aircraft, along with the F/A-18, use an Improved Joint Helmet-Mounted Cuing System (IJHMCS) helmet that weighs 22 pounds. This weight, in addition to G-force, creates a strain for neck muscles during high performance maneuvers. Over time, the exposure to repeated neck strain can result in a higher likelihood of chronic neck and back pain. Burton expanded his research to the strike fighter wing community and found similar issues.
“Aircrew didn’t want to stop flying, so they would often ignore physical symptoms and not seek help,” Burton said. “There wasn’t a mechanism in place in Naval Aviation to prevent these symptoms from developing. While physical therapy was an option, the information wasn’t adequately distributed so enough pilots would seek help through physical therapists.” Using volunteers as a study group, and utilizing the knowledge of Navy physiologists, an effort known as “prehabilitation” emerged to strengthen, stretch and improve physiology before and after flights with the goal to ultimately reduce the development of neck and back pain or injuries....
...“Pilots are sent into very dynamic flights under high G-force, or long flights where pilots sit with poor posture in a way that their vest or helmet is weighing them down,” Grubic said. “We worked with the test pilot community in numerous aircraft to help pilots stationed there improve their health and get back into the cockpit. During my time at MAG-13, I have worked with F-35 pilots who have a large helmet, about 5 pounds, also flying dynamic flights anywhere up to 7 to 7.5 Gs. That is a lot of force on the body even without added weight of the helmet.”..."