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VAQ-133 Hood River, Ore

To the Editor: As the active duty naval flight surgeon of a jet squadron (VAQ-133) recently deployed to Afghanistan, I arrived confident that my demanding internship in advanced trauma life support certification had provided me with the skills I needed for the task at hand. I was surprised to discover the important role that osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) would have in medically supporting my squadron.

The pilots and aircrew of our deployed forces often have musculoskeletal complaints. During flight operations, aviators experience significant gravitational forces while forcibly maintaining the body positions required for situational awareness. Furthermore, combat missions require that aviators wear restrictive safety gear and use night vision goggles, which can bring about cervical and thoracic somatic dysfunction.

The Naval Aerospace Medical Institutes' medical guidelines restrict the available treatment options for these individuals. The use of muscle relaxants and other more conventional pharmacologic therapies places aviators in a "down" aeromedical status, which prohibits them from flying. Osteopathic manipulative treatment, however, provides immediate and often prolonged relief while maintaining a fully functional squadron that is capable of completing frequent missions.

Many of the aircraft maintenance staff have somatic dysfunctions as well, resulting from labor-intensive jobs. The use of OMT in these individuals helps reduce the time taken off work and can also help increase morale, all of which contribute to keeping our jets airborne and missions successful.

My use of OMT has not only helped to keep VAQ-133 fully functional, it has strengthened my professional relationship with the members of my squadron. Developing a trusting relationship with my patients is both personally rewarding and vital to my role as a flight surgeon, because it allows me to assess many personal factors that affect the performance of my squadron members. This, in turn, has a direct influence on aviation safety through mishap prevention.

View larger version (96K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 1. LT David Hayes, DO, providing osteopathic manipulative treatment to a VAQ-133 pilot (LT Stiefer) after a combat mission in Afghanistan.

View larger version (94K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 2. LT David Hayes, DO (center), with fellow aircrew (LCDR Moore [left] and LCDR Rao) after a combat mission over Afghanistan.

Footnotes
The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, nor the US Government.

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