An investigation of the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders, dynamic balance, endurance of trunk flexor and spine extensors muscles, and core muscles strength among the flight staff

Poor physical fitness and subsequent musculoskeletal disorders are the major reasons for absence from work and decrease in occupational quality among flight staff. Therefore¡ the purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and assessment of some physical fitness factors in flight staff.
This cross-sectional study was performed on 66 randomly selected individuals (Age: 36.1±7.1 years) of the flight staff of Mehrabad aerial station. Nordic questionnaire was utilized to evaluate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders. However; Biering-Sorensen test¡ a defined test for assessment of trunk flexor muscles endurance¡ Pressure-Biofeedback unit¡ and Y balance test were used to assess the endurance of spinal extensor and trunk flexor muscles¡ core muscles strength¡ and dynamic balance¡ respectively.
The most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders among subjects were as the followings: lumbar spine (24.2%)¡ knees (18.1%)¡ and cervical spine (13.6%). A negative and significant correlation was found between most dynamic balance factors and spinal and trunk muscle endurance and core muscles strength.
It can be concluded that there is a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in the lumbar spine¡ knees¡ and the cervical spine compared to the other areas of the body. Furthermore¡ low endurance and strength was observed for spinal¡ trunk¡ and core muscles.