Citation

Newlands JC. Aviat. Space Environ. Med. 1997; 68(4): 334-336.

Affiliation

Oakey Medical Centre, Army Airfield, QLD, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, Aerospace Medical Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9096831

Abstract

The case history of a 38-yr-old military aviator qualified on a range of rotary and fixed wing aircraft is presented. A radiologically evident and clinically debilitating (initially) lumbar disc protrusion was the source of the aviator's temporary grounding from flying duties. A full clinical recovery was made and he returned to flying, eventually to ejection seat aircraft. It is proposed that: 1.) wherever possible, initial conservative non-invasive management of back problems is preferable; 2.) lumbar disc lesions may sometimes totally spontaneously resolve (retraction or autolysis?), and; 3.) development and diagnosis of a lumbar disc lesion should not always be an automatic permanent expulsion from rotary wing or ejection seat aircraft.

Language: en