Back Pain in the Asterisk

Causes of Back Pain LBP can be triggered by some combination of overuse, muscle strain, and injury to the muscles, ligaments and discs that support the spinal cord. Long hours in the cockpit (most of the time in a less-than-optimal posture), ineffective seat padding and lumbar support, the use of night-vision goggles (NVGs), and constant vibrations in rotary-wing aircraft are possible contributors to back pain. Generally, when seated in a flexed posture, the muscular system undergoes a series of physiologic changes, resulting in a complex sequence of events, which ultimately leads to overly tight and weak muscles.\n The left hand operates the collective pitch lever on the left side of the seat.