Background: Pilots of fixed wing commercial aircraft face numerous occupational hazards. Low back pain is among the most common and costly workplace injury, though relatively little is known about causes of back injuries among pilots. The awkward lifting and twisting maneuvers in the flight deck to position flight bags has not been described as a cause of occupational back injury among pilots.
Methods: A case series of low back injuries among pilots was identified and described by a retrospective review of charts at an airport-based clinic. Circumstances of occupational back injury, initial direct medical costs, treatment, and work status following evaluation were described.
Results: Over a 6-yr period, 37 occupational low back injuries among 35 pilots were evaluated and treated. Of these, 24 (65%) involved flight bags. Only 27% of pilots with flight bag-associated injuries were returned to work after initial evaluation; medications with sedating properties were frequently required for treatment. Injuries due to slips, trips, and falls, typically in jet bridges or associated with hotel shuttles, were common among pilots with back injuries not related to flight bags.
Conclusions: The majority of occupational low back injuries seen among pilots in an airport based clinic were attributable to use of flight bags. Substituting electronic flight bags for traditional flight bags could contribute to back injury prevention among pilots.