Exercise as Treatment of Neck Pain Among Helicopter Pilots and Crew Members

• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01926262
• Recruitment Status: Completed
• First Posted: August 20, 2013
• Last Update Posted: December 2, 2015
• Sponsor: University of Southern Denmark
• Collaborator: The Royal Danish Air Force
• Information provided by (Responsible Party): Mike Murray, University of Southern Denmark

Study Description

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.

Condition or disease	Intervention/treatment	Phase
Neck Pain; Shoulder Pain	Behavioral: Specific Strength Training	Phase 2

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.

Study Design

• Study Type: Interventional (Clinical Trial)
• Actual Enrollment: 69 participants
• Allocation: Randomized
• Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Official Title: Physical Exercise Against Neck and Shoulder Pain in Danish Military Helicopter Pilots and Crewmembers - A Clinical Randomized, Controlled Trail
• Study Start Date: November 2013
• Actual Primary Completion Date: April 2014
• Actual Study Completion Date: April 2014

Arms and Interventions

Arm	Intervention/treatment
Experimental: Physical Exercise Group; Specific Strength Training for the Neck and Shoulder muscles	Behavioral: Specific Strength Training; Specific Strength Training for the Neck and Shoulder Muscles
No Intervention: Reference group; No Specific Strength Training

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures :

1. Neck and shoulder pain [ Time Frame: 6 months ]
   Neck pain will be assessed as self-rated pain on a 10 point scale by questionnaire at baseline and follow-up after 6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures :

1. Pressure-Pain-Threshold [ Time Frame: 6 months ]
   Pressure-Pain-Threshold will be assessed at baseline and follow-up after 6 months
2. Muscle strength and steadiness [ Time Frame: 6 months ]
   Muscle strength and steadiness will be quantified by force transducers at baseline and follow-up after 6 months
3. Postural stability [ Time Frame: 6 months ]
   Postural stability will be assessed at baseline and follow-up after 6 months

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Sexes Eligible for Study: All
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

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

Contacts and Locations

Locations

Denmark

Hilicopter Wing Karup

Karup, Denmark, 7470

Sponsors and Collaborators

University of Southern Denmark

The Royal Danish Air Force

Investigators

• Study Director: Gisela Sjøgaard, Professor.,; University of Southern Denmark

More Information

Additional Information:

University of Southern Denmark 

Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):

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.

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.

• Responsible Party: Mike Murray, MSc, University of Southern Denmark
• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01926262
• Other Study ID Numbers: S-20120121
• First Posted: August 20, 2013
• Last Update Posted: December 2, 2015
• Last Verified: December 2015

Keywords provided by Mike Murray, University of Southern Denmark:

Pain, Neck, Exercise, Pilots, Crewmembers,

Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Shoulder Pain; Neck Pain; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Arthralgia; Joint Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases