Neck pain in F-16 vs. Typhoon fighter pilots.

INTRODUCTION: In jet pilots, the neck is stressed by dynamic loading and there is growing concern about possible neck damage in pilots of new agile aircraft. Jet pilots often report neck pain after flight so intense that their operational capability may be affected. However, there is no clear evidence of structural damage related to the operational exposure.

METHODS: We compared 35 F-16 pilots with 35 age-matched Eurofighter Typhoon pilots. All subjects completed an anonymous questionnaire on their flight activity and neck pain.

RESULTS: The incidence of neck pain in the F-16 group was 48.6% compared with 5.7% of the Typhoon group, significantly higher. In F-16 pilots, there was a significant association between neck pain and age over 30 yr, total flight hours, and flight hours exceeding 600.

DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that the risk of neck pain after flight is higher among F-16 pilots compared with Typhoon pilots. This could be due to several reasons, including the backward reclined seat of the F-16, which exposes the neck to the load in an unfavorable posture while moving the head during maneuvers at sustained high-G.