Pilot Head and Neck Response to Helicopter Whole Body Vibration and Head-Supported Mass

Given the prevalence and severity of neck pain among helicopter pilots, the effects of helicopter whole body vibration (WBV) and pilot head-supported mass (HSM) on neck muscle strain and fatigue need to be understood to establish effective mitigating solutions and/or countermeasure protocols. The present study provides a preliminary assessment of pilot head and neck responses under different WBV conditions (i.e. Engines Off, Ground Idle, Hover, and Cruise) and HSM conditions (i.e. Helmet-only, Helmet+NVG) during flight operations on a Bell 412 helicopter. For both pilots, average neck electromyography (EMG) amplitudes were highest during the maximum WBV condition (Cruise) and the maximum HSM condition (Helmet+NVG). This indicates that helicopter WBV and HSM conditions jointly contribute to higher neck muscle loading, which may coincide with elevated neck muscle discomfort, strain, and fatigue. Therefore, effective mitigating solutions (e.g. vibration exposure limits, operational guidelines) must account for the combined effects of WBV and HSM to reduce or prevent neck pain among helicopter pilots.