Efeitos de um programa de exercícios sobre a fadiga neuromuscular de pilotos de helicóptero da força aérea brasileira: ensaio controlado e randomizado

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The high prevalence of low back pain in helicopter pilots has been attributed to muscle fatigue, due to ergonomic and postural factors. Trunk stabilization exercises appear as a clinical alternative for the treatment of this condition. OBJECTIVE: To compare neuromuscular fatigue, verified through the median electromyographic frequency, among helicopter pilots of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) who performed or not a program of exercises to strengthen the trunk erector muscles. METHODOLOGY: This is a randomized controlled trial, carried out with 14 pilots, FAB helicopter instructors, randomly distributed into two distinct groups: Trained Group (exercise program based on the Pilates method twice a week for 12 weeks) and Untrained Group (without intervention). The volunteers were submitted to the evaluation of the resistance of the trunk erector muscles, through the Ito test and the electromyographic activity of this same group, in two moments: before and immediately after the flight. RESULTS: In the intragroup analysis of the Fmed of the multifidus muscles on the left side, differences were observed when comparing times 1 and 2 (p= 0.001) in both groups. In the intra-group analysis of the Fmed on the right side, there was a significant difference when comparing times 1 and 2 (p= 0.016) in the GT group, however, there was no significant difference in the NTG group at any of the evaluation times. No significant differences were found when comparing the groups, in the analysis of the median frequency of the multifidus muscles on the left and on the right side (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The proposed exercise program did not promote an increase in muscle resistance of the erector spinae group in helicopter pilots. It is additionally suggested that the use of the median frequency, as a variable for the analysis of resistance to fatigue, with the protocol proposed in the present study, did not show sufficient sensitivity to detect statistically significant changes.