Clinical trial NCT01926262: Exercise as Treatment of Neck Pain Among Helicopter Pilots and Crew Members
Official title: Physical Exercise Against Neck and Shoulder Pain in Danish Military Helicopter Pilots and Crewmembers - A Clinical Randomized, Controlled Trail
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE2
Conditions: Neck Pain
Shoulder Pain
Keywords: Pain, Neck, Exercise, Pilots, Crewmembers,
Lead sponsor: University of Southern Denmark
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: The Royal Danish Air Force
First posted: 2013-08-20
Enrollment: 69
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE

Brief summary: The aim of this project is to investigate, whether physical training, targeted neck and shoulder muscles, can reduce and prevent neck pain among military helicopter pilots and crewmembers.

Detailed description: Military helicopter pilots and crewmembers is often burdened by work-related neck and shoulder pain. Neck pain is a health challenge, that can reduce functional level, concentration and operational safety. Physical exercise has shown good efficacy in reducing neck/shoulder pain in other occupational groups in previous studies.

The Royal Danish Air Force and the University of Southern Denmark, wishes to examine whether specific physical exercise can prevent and reduce neck/shoulder pain within this occupational group.

Participants in this project will be randomly selected to either a physical exercise group or a reference group.

* The physical exercise group will follow a training program targeted neck and shoulder muscles and train 1 hour per week (3 x 20 min) for 26 weeks.
* The reference group will continue normal routines, including workout routines. They will later be offered the same training program as the Physical Exercise group provided that training has a positive effect.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Employed within the Royal Danish Air Force
* Helicopter pilot
* Crewmember (Flight engineer, Rescue swimmer or Mission System Operator)
* Flown within the past 6 months

Exclusion Criteria:

* Grounded at time of inclusion
* Participated in a training intervention within the past 12 months

Primary outcomes:
measure: Neck and shoulder pain
timeFrame: 6 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Pressure-Pain-Threshold
timeFrame: 6 months
measure: Muscle strength and steadiness
timeFrame: 6 months
measure: Postural stability
timeFrame: 6 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Karup
country: Denmark
facility: Hilicopter Wing Karup
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Southern Denmark
name: Gisela Sjøgaard, Professor.,
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
References:
citation: Murray M, Lange B, Nornberg BR, Sogaard K, Sjogaard G. Self-administered physical exercise training as treatment of neck and shoulder pain among military helicopter pilots and crew: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2017 Apr 7;18(1):147. doi: 10.1186/s12891-017-1507-3.
citation: Murray M, Lange B, Nornberg BR, Sogaard K, Sjogaard G. Specific exercise training for reducing neck and shoulder pain among military helicopter pilots and crew members: a randomized controlled trial protocol. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2015 Aug 19;16:198. doi: 10.1186/s12891-015-0655-6.