Back pain in astronauts (8-IML-1)

As a preliminary study for the International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-1) experiment, a pain diagram was used to elicit information about the incidence and severity of back pain experienced by 20 payload specialists (PS) on 22 shuttle flights from 1983 to 1986. There were 18 responses from 17 PSs (one PS provided information about two missions). Thirteen PSs (72 percent) reported experiencing some degree of back pain, ranging from dull (can be ignored) to severe, making concentration difficult. For the majority, the pain was dull in nature, and did not interfere with work or concentration. For some, the pain abated after only a few minutes; for others, the pain persisted for the entire duration of the flight.