Your Health as a Flightsimmer

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lieutfunaki
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Your Health as a Flightsimmer

Post by lieutfunaki » Tue Jun 28, 2005 8:49 pm

The Health Effects of Flight Simulation on the Human Body

By Capt. P. K. Ballard VMD.


(Waring: The following is a little sarcastic, and is presented light-heartedly, but hopefully includes some helpful advice. Though I am in medical studies at the moment, it has yet to be determined if I will flunk out entirely or be sued for malpractice in the future, so please appropriate all this a measure of common sense. I AM NOT A DOCTOR...yet)

To some degree, I have reached the pinnacle of flightsim “geekdom.” Not only have I raised two blisters from my brake switch, but I have begun to develop carpal tunnel like pain in my right hand from over-fatiguing muscles and tendons during close formation flying. Part of this problem is a “deathgrip” which we all develop during uncomfortable amounts of focus. Part of it is the tight springs on the cougar I use. And, part of it is just nerves and the stress of lack of relaxation. Whatever the cause, when flightsim joy decreases the joy of normal life, through inducing pain, it’s time for some medical intervention. Due to a lack of a flight surgeon, I’m taking “position 9” for a moment and giving some suggestions.


Stress
Stress, no matter what the cause, is bad. Medical journals around the world are now recognizing that stress weakens the immune system, and can cause everything from high blood pressure/increased heart rate (yeah that red face you get when you flightsim), muscle fatigue through tension (the leg and arm cramps), and literally lowering the body’s ability to fight disease (the cough you got from your kid after that all night practice with the team that your body should have rejected ). Ulcers are also bad bad times. So what do you do?

A. Chew gum. The activity of chewing gum forces the body to relax the tongue and jaw while you focus. If you take yoga, or physical therapy and are told to relax, they will remind you to move your tongue to loosen your jaw. Either add it to the callouts (Thunderbirds, relax ready now…move your mouth ready now…) or chew some gum. The bad news is, once you are flying, you can’t change pieces of gum… so it tastes nasty after 4 hours. The good news is, you’ll be too busy to notice…until you land.

Every video I've seen of the Blues or the TBirds, they are chewing gum..probably for altitude induced ear discomfort, but it serves this purpose as well. For some people chewing gum can cause tension in muscles in the neck and head....I've never had this problem... "Ask your physician if chewing gum is right for you."

B. Take a few moments during startup to BREATH…establish a resting breath pattern. Close your eyes…as those engines start…and think about nothing…I SAID NOTHING!!! Breath! Notice if you’re tense…and STOP IT! Maintain full, slow, breaths as you fly.


C. Practice noticing when you are tense and try to relax the muscle that is expressing it.

D. Practice flying in situation where there is no competition (this is primarily directed at JV guys). Practicing with the team can be a bit intimidating, especially when you want to impress team members…but practicing with friends is just plain fun. Do it, and then try to get into that same mood when you fly with the team.

The Pain

So your “fun meter” is going off while you fly, that’s great. Who cares? Suppose you stop flying and the next day get pain in your thumb while you lift something. You could shake it off…but the next night as you fly again you realize something ain’t right. Pain is there for a reason. Remember that you have a whole hand on the right side of the stick, and only a thumb on the left. Pushing with that thumb on a stick for 8 hour at a time is hard on your thumb. It’s time to operate!!!! Get a no. 11 Xacto blade and make a 15.6mm incision… (just kidding). Hopefully you just fatigued a muscle…good news is it’s easy to heal if you act now.. I’ll save you the physical therapy and give you the rundown.

A. RICE it. Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation…the purpose of all of these (except rest) is to reduce swelling by reducing blood flow to the area. Just like skinning a knee, you want to get it to scab and stick together. Same here, stop the bleeding, then work on rehabilitation and strengthening.

B. Things heal better when they don’t produce scar tissue. A doc WOULD tell you to take Ibprofen 2-3 times a day…not for pain but as an anti-inflammatory. I’m not going to tell you to do it because I’m not a doc yet and I haven’t seen you, but that is what a doc WOULD do if you paid him 200 bucks to see you and then say it.


C. After a few days the muscle will be stiff…introduce WET heat as a flexibility aid…NO DRY HEAT. Also, consider a contrast bath…hand in cold then warm then cold exchanging every minute for 11 minutes so as to end in the cold again.

D. Lastly, start flying again to strengthen things SLOWLY.

The temporary pain DURING flying is reduced by means of strengthening those muscles and loosening that grip. Means to attaining this may be one of those stupid hand strengthening things that rock climbers buy and then never touch, playing in the sandbox with your ripped four year old, or flightsim…in moderation. Loosening the grip is achieved by posthumous telepathic communication with Ghandi…good luck.


Hopefully these tips will aid you practically as you brave the simulated airshow circuit. Those who don’t sim can’t understand the feat that it is to perform at your caliber, and may mock you…(wait I’m laughing)…but don’t allow that to get in the way of being physically and mentally prepared to take to the “pixelated skies.”

Smuckers, out.
Last edited by lieutfunaki on Tue Dec 13, 2011 9:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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TBT_Piper
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Post by TBT_Piper » Thu Jun 30, 2005 6:07 pm

Thanks for this. Now I know how to cure my pains I get from flying. They really urked me. How long until you are a doctor?
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Lawndart
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Post by Lawndart » Thu Jun 30, 2005 11:19 pm

Awesome Smuckers! We laughed about your post last nite...

Ironically, I must have aquired some nerve damage in my right index finger from "holding on too tight" flying lead (yes, I acutally relax better on wing...). Feels like it's asleep all the time now! :lol:

LawnDart

P.S. You think I'm joking...?
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lieutfunaki
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Post by lieutfunaki » Fri Jul 01, 2005 12:18 am

LawnDart wrote:Awesome Smuckers! We laughed about your post last nite...

Ironically, I must have aquired some nerve damage in my right index finger from "holding on too tight" flying lead (yes, I acutally relax better on wing...). Feels like it's asleep all the time now! :lol:

LawnDart

P.S. You think I'm joking...?
"Boss, relax ready now." :lol:

This is me in wing position: :shock: Getting better all the time though.

I believe you, only because the thing that inspired me to write the above is that my thumb has been killing me for weeks now...ever since starting an aggressive practice schedule, and switching to the cougar from a no-resistence joystick. The general rule of thumb (pun blatently intended) is that if you can tap the inside of your wrist (where you'd check pulse) 20 or 30 times in a row and you don't get weird tingling in your fingertips, it's probably not carpal tunnel. The good news is that the treatment for carpal tunnel and muscle fatigue is basicly the same. Stop the movement, anti-inflamatory...

I've been looking for scholarly research on the effects of joystick use and flight sim on the human body...and would you believe I've found nothing so far? ;-)

Glad you enjoyed my post, the concept of being physically prepared for sitting in front of a "video game" (as it is so vulgarly referred to), cracks me up...but the irony is that any repetitive movement can lead to weird nerve problems and muscle fatigue...so it is a very real thing.


TBT Piper: I have at least 5 years till I am done with school and in my flight surgeon residency program.
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lieutfunaki
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Post by lieutfunaki » Tue Dec 13, 2011 9:20 pm

It's been a while since I've posted over here, glad to see you are all still going strong. To date, flying with y'all is still the most fun I have ever had on a sim, though I have enjoyed making my mark on the WVAC since.

www.flightxtreme.com

Since trying out for the team, I have been accepted to The George Washington University School of Medicine and am now a first year medical student. As of last week I was also offered a commission as a 2nd Lt. in the USAF. I will be promoted to Captain upon graduation with an MD in 2015. I plan to be sworn-in shortly after the holiday break.

One step closer to the dream of being Thunderbird 9 "Flight Surgeon."

Keep up the great work gents!
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Ells
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Post by Ells » Wed Dec 14, 2011 4:46 am

That's great news Smuckers and I can't beleive I missed this post way back then, what a great read.

My right shoulder muscle and side if my neck has been playing up since after VFAT, due to a formation position swap I think, and was bad yesterday so no flying for me last night (sucks to be grounded though).
I must be keeping my head to the left more during the flight so will try adjusting my TIR so my head is more straight on but looking left in sim.

On the breathing thing, I so do that before we go up for a flight, especially live ones. When we're waiting for camera's to go live, I just sit in the pit, close my eyes, visualise flying through the air in my head and breath deeply to relax.

Some great advice there and good luck with your studies and commission.
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