Neck muscle activation and head postures in common high performance aerial combat maneuvers
Data(s) |
01/10/2006
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Resumo |
<b>Introduction:</b> Neck injuries are common in high performance combat pilots and have been attributed to high gravitational forces and the non-neutral head postures adopted during aerial combat maneuvers. There is still little known about the pathomechanics of these injuries. <br /><br /><b>Methods:</b> Six Royal Australian Air Force Hawk pilots flew a sortie that included combinations of three +Gz levels (1, 3, and 5) and four head postures (Neutral, Turn, Extension, and Check-6). Surface electromyography from neck and shoulder muscles was recorded in flight. Three-dimensional measures of head postures adopted in flight were estimated postflight with respect to end-range of the cervical spine using an electromagnetic tracking device. <br /><br /><b>Results:</b> Mean muscle activation increased significantly with both increasing +Gz and non-neutral head postures. Check-6 at +5 Gz (mean activation of all muscles = 51% MVIC) elicited significantly greater muscle activation in most muscles when compared with Neutral, Extension, and Turn head postures. High levels of muscle co-contraction were evident in high acceleration and non-neutral head postures. Head kinematics showed Check-6 was closest to end-range in any movement plane (86% ROM in rotation) and produced the greatest magnitude of rotation in other planes. Turn and Extension showed a large magnitude of rotation with reference to end-range in the primary plane of motion but displayed smaller rotations in other planes. <br /><b><br />Discussion:</b> High levels of neck muscle activation and co-contraction due to high +Gz and head postures close to end range were evident in this study, suggesting the major influence of these factors on the pathomechanics of neck injuries in high performance combat pilots.<br /> |
Identificador | |
Idioma(s) |
eng |
Publicador |
Aerospace Medical Association |
Relação |
http://dro.deakin.edu.au/eserv/DU:30020415/netto-neckmuscleactivation-2006.pdf http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/asma/asem/2006/00000077/00000010/art00008 |
Direitos |
2006, Aerospace Medical Association |
Palavras-Chave | #electromyography #neck #cervical #hypergravity #injury |
Tipo |
Journal Article |