Hutchinson KJ, Hargens AR, Murthy G, Watenpaugh DE, Convertino VA, Wing PC.

FASEB J. 1993 Feb 23; 7: A666.

Life Sci. Div., NASA ARC, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000.

Astronauts often experience back pain during space flight. Retrospectively, Wing et al. (Orthop. Clinics N. Amer. 22:255, 1991) found that during space flight 72% of 19 shuttle crew members experienced back pain, which they described as dull (62%), localized to the lower back (50%), and with an intensity of 2 on the 5 point McGill Questionnaire scale. Furthermore, the spine lengthens 4-7 cm in microgravity. Our objective was to compare back pain and spinal lengthening (body height increase) during simulated microgravity (6 degrees head-down tilt, HDT) with those during actual microgravity. Eight male volunteers completed the McGill Questionnaire with pain intensity graded from zero (no pain) to 5 (intense and incapacitating pain) each day at 7:00 pm during 2d pre-tilt control, 16d HDT, and 1d post-tilt recovery periods. Also, the subjects' heights were measured each day while supine (control and recovery) and during HDT. Back pain increased from zero (pre-tilt control period) to 1.8 +/- 0.4 at days 1 to 5 of HDT. During days 1 to 3 of HDT all of the subjects categorized their lower back pain as dull and/or burning. Only two subjects reported any pain at the end of HDT and during recovery. Heights increased by 2.1 +/- 0.5 cm by day 3 and remained at that level until recovery. Although spinal lengthening in space is twice that during HDT, the HDT model provides a good simulation of the type, level, distribution, and time course of back pain associated with actual microgravity. In the HDT model, pain subsides in intensity when spinal lengthening stops. Therefore, back pain in actual and simulated microgravity may result from stretching of paraspinal ligaments and musculature until a new spinal length is reached.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Animals
• Back Pain
• Body Height
• Head
• Head-Down Tilt
• Low Back Pain
• Male
• Models, Biological
• Skin
• Space Flight
• Weightlessness
• Weightlessness Simulation
• NASA Center ARC
• NASA Center KSC
• NASA Discipline Musculoskeletal
• NASA Discipline Number 26-10
• NASA Program Space Physiology and Countermeasures

Other ID:

• 95608644

UI: 102212924

From Meeting Abstracts