Questions from the Field
These articles are researched and written by HPRC staff to answer questions about performance in challenging environments.
- A pain in the neck—causes in helicopter and fighter pilots
- Chronic and acute neck pain among pilots can affect the readiness and effectiveness of service men and women who take to the skies on a regular basis. Find out what is being done about the increasing occurrence of neck pain among military pilots of helicopters and fighter jets.
- The future of body armor
- Carrying heavy loads, notably body armor and equipment, is taking a toll on Warfighters. A recent report examines the issues related to reducing body armor weight while preserving safety.
- Preventing non-combat injuries is a must!
- Vast numbers of Warfighters remain non-deployable after being sent home early with non-combat orthopedic injuries. Commanders and researchers in the military are exploring preventive measures.
- What IS "heat illness"?
- Heat illness can vary from minor symptoms to life threatening conditions. Know the progression of signs and symptoms to prevent serious injury when exercising or performing in hot environments.
- Short-Duration Altitude Acclimatization
- The effects of short-term altitude acclimatization are varied and include both cognitive and psychomotor components.
- High-Altitude Training Masks
- Commercial devices are available that purportedly help a person acclimatize to high altitude while they are still training at normal atmospheric pressure, but their effectiveness is questionable.
- Intermittent Normobaric-Hypoxia Exposure Conditioning Program
- Commercially-available normobaric hypoxic devices simulate altitude. Are they useful for improving health and performance at high altitudes?
- How can Warfighters prevent and manage altitude illness?
- It is commonly believed that physical fitness can prevent acute mountain sickness, but this is a myth.
- How can heat acclimatization prevent heat illness?
- Heat-related injuries are significant threats to the health and operational effectiveness of military members and their units.
- EPO for altitude acclimitization
- A look at the use of exogenous erythropoietin (EPO) for faster altitude acclimatization.





