Hey all;   It's been a year or so since I have been to this page since I decided to retire from helicopter flying.  I miss the flying and the technology but not the industry in general.  Like many I'm a retired army CWO who flew.  

I was having trouble with my back and stiffness after flights of just 30 to 45 minutes.  Seems many in my year group who flew from Viet Nam times in 1970 until say 1995-2000 in the military or in the civil world have some back issues.  My question is, has anyone got the VA to award disability based upon back pain?   

I'll provide an e-mail if anyone is interested.  Thanks and fly safe.  

I recieve 10% for throacolumbar strain (lower back).  I flew for 20 years, and towards the end, I would extract myself from the helicopter, as my back was in so much pain.

I did therapy (from the flight doc, so documented), bought an inversion table, and still work the area today... so much better.

Good luck.

You think you got back problems from the little bit you flew? People work desk jobs and sit more than pilot with less complaints and less entitlement. 
yikes!

Have you ever compared office chairs and pilot seats? Have you ever been at a desk job where you couldn't move the chair around, stretch your legs any time you felt it was even a tad necessary? You have no experience in life, and ya should get off the internet and clean up that basement before your parents get home.

People sit in office chairs for 2080 hours a year... you sit in a helicopter that much in your entire career and suddenly that's what hurt your back lol!! tou Sir make me laugh! 🤣 talk about entitle little bitch.

How little I flew?  How would you know how much I flew.  Back when FT W & Mouther Rucker made pilots we flew plenty in all types of craft.  Several with no adjustments & learned to slouch.  

You must have crap for brains and if you must know I flew 8100 military hours in OH6's, 58s, Cobras & hueys and Blackhawks.   Flew some foreign junk too   After retirement from the military I flew Oil then EMS think another 1250 hrs   Better stuff too.   I have a doctor who says part of my problem with the lack of egronomics and vibration could have caused my problem.  

Maybe you might know about shinning a desk chair with your Azze or your one of those Med trans or AMC types who advertise SPIFR, but you don't have enough balls to file & launch.   

Check out http://counterstrain.com 

Saved a lot of people

There's a guy in Frederick who invented it; Brian Tucky. You'd be surprised

Show me a helicopter pilot who doesn't have back problems.  Get over it.

Big T's right.  I also have farmer friends that sat on tractors for as long as I flew (30 + years)  they have back problems too.  The one long term helo (SHIP) pilots should look out for is A-Fib .  There is increasing evidence that certain harmonics in a helicopter (Turbine engines) could possibly react with the electrical signals in the heart.  ( remember the old N1 no flight idle zone ). 

Lowe back routine is only fix ....   4 sets roman dead lift X 12 reps. 4 sets behind neck squats /quads, 12 reps , 4sets front squats quads .. 4 sets hip  thrust X 12 reps , you feel better yes? shut force trim too ,, for forearm .... NICE!!!!!

My grandfather's definition of a pilot was "pick it up here, pile it over there".

So again to flew 300ish hours a year and that's enough to destroy your back? Had nothing to do with your life style? Someone else is to blame? 

  be a tough one considering the amount of time you have been away from the military.  There is no knowing what else you may have experienced to induce low back pain.  Posture is one of the culprits, crummy Huey type pilot web-seats another, 1:1 rev of a two bladed rotor system, predisposition for lower spine deterioration genetically another, on and on the potentials go. 

There are studies that connect the problem with helicopters but you need to specifically connect your problem with them, a hard landing documented, etc.