Body Composition Symmetry in Aircraft Pilots

The purpose of this study was to analyze the body composition symmetry in upper and lower body segments of aircrafts pilots. To reach the study aim, body composition in upper and lower body segments of 206 male aircraft pilots of the Spanish Army (23.1 +/- 6.87 years) and 105 civilians (24.0 +/- 6.29 years) were evaluated by a bioimpedance analyser (InBody 720, Biospace Co. Ltd., Seoul, Korea). Aircraft pilots presented a tendency to dysmetria in upper and lower body segments, showing fitter values in the protagonist side when performing flight functions. Dysmetria could be detrimental during flight manoeuvres and produce injuries in aircraft pilots. It would be recommended to design specific training protocols to improve this imbalance.

Automated summary

The purpose of this study was to analyze body composition symmetry in upper and lower body segments of aircraft pilots. The results showed that there is a tendency for imbalance in the upper and lower body segments of pilots, which could have detrimental effects on their flight maneuvers. It is recommended to design specific training protocols to improve this imbalance.