Aircrew lumbar supports: an update.

The numbers and types of aircraft flown by aircrew being issued with lumbar supports at the Aviation Medicine Training Centre (AMTC), Royal Air Force Henlow, has been examined for the year 1997. A total of 67 lumbar supports were issued, 46% to the Army, 37% to the RAF and 15% to the Royal Navy. Rotary wing aircraft constituted the majority of issues (73%) compared with fixed wing aircraft (27%); the Gazelle formed the highest component (34%), followed by the Lynx (20%) and the Sea King (14%). The Tornado and the Nimrod were in equal fourth place, each receiving 6% of the supports. The figures show the current distribution of aircraft types whose crews are being issued with lumbar supports and confirm the continued high incidence of backache among rotary wing aircrew.