Helicopter pilots flying Mi-8, Mi-17 suffering from back pain

A majority of Indian military pilots flying Russian helicopters, Mi-8 & Mi-17 are suffering from various types of backache which could impact their performance, a study has found.
Focusing on different aspects of backache, including frequency, location, severity & relief measure, the study said back pain was recorded among 67.74 % & 75.0 % pilots flying Mi-8 & Mi-17 helicopters.

A total of 55 helicopters pilots with the average age of 32.35 years & 29.0 years currently flying Mi-8 & Mi-17 participated in the study.

The study says majority of the pilots did not seek any medical consultation for their malady (Mi-8, 71.42%, Mi-17, 66.66%).
While 33.33% Mi-8 pilots reportedly had pain almost every day .
The commonest activity precipitating back pain was flying. Asked about the type of sorties that precipitate the pain, they identified the ferry or cross-country sorties as most notorious.
Measure to obtain relief from the pain included either taking rest on hard bed or some spinal stretching exercise after the sortie.
The study said a higher incidence of spine related disorders among helicopter pilots may be because of the vibration leading to cumulative load on the spine.
It suggested carrying out mandatory MRI scan at regular intervals for helicopter pilots based on cumulative flying hours.

Presently, IAF operates a 12 squadron strong fleet of Mi-17 & Mi-8 helicopters.