The Future of Air Traffic Control

Can A Massage Program Effectively Reduce Fatigue in Aviation Personnel?

Understanding the limitations of humans and the complexity of aviation industry jobs underscores the need for the development of a more comprehensive safety program element, emphasizing stress and fatigue management. The current safety program elements do not effectively reduce or combat stress and fatigue on an individual long-term basis, resulting in a higher than acceptable safety record. Massage has been proven to effectively reduce stress and fatigue, and provides a myriad of increased health benefits resulting in stronger, healthier, and more focused individuals. A massage program, when applied to the aviation industry, has the potential to increase mental sharpness, effectively combat fatigue, which is a major safety problem, and as a secondary result, reduce healthcare costs overall.

People are involved in every aspect of the aviation industry. Air Safety Week, a top newsletter devoted to news and the analysis of aviation safety, reported in their January article, “Among the leading cause of fatal accidents for U.S. air carriers from 1989 to 1996 were loss of control and CFIT (Controlled Flight Into Terrain). Human error was identified as a major contributing cause in a large percentage of these accidents.”(2009).

Aircraft cost millions, and sometimes billions of dollars, so why do aviation professionals make these costly mistakes? In short, they’re exhausted. Long hours in a high stress environment for an extended period of time leads to fatigue. We have seen the effects of fatigue in aviation, and with the extreme growth in this industry, the problem will only get worse if not addressed. Air traffic controllers and pilots alike are being asked to push the limits of their ability as management tries to make up for the manning shortage. As we make leaps in technology, many safety program elements are focused on this new technology in the cockpit, to help the pilot make fewer mistakes. However, it should be noted that the misuse of new technology has been the contributing factor in some aviation accidents, and it does not address the underlying deep-rooted problem of human error due to fatigue.

According to the publication, Plain Language About Shiftwork, approximately 15.5 million people work shifts. (1997). Working shifts disrupts the body’s natural Circadian rhythm, the 24-hour cycle in the biochemical, physiological or behavioral processes of living beings. Irregular hours, split shifts, and frequent rotations between night and day are common to members of the aviation industry, in addition to extended work hours and high levels of physical and/or mental stress. These Circadian disruptions are often accompanied by sleep loss, with the lack of sleep creating an environment where the individual is too tired to concentrate effectively, resulting in an increased possibility of error or injury.

In a natural environment, when exposed to stress, we would have to fight or flee, and the body would gear up and use the chemicals produced for this purpose appropriately. However, in a stressful work environment, with no fighting or fleeing necessary, those chemicals remain in your system, effectively reducing your body’s ability to function properly.

Under stress, the body produces cortisol to help meet the challenges of fight or flight. If your body is under high levels of stress consistently, the cortisol builds up in your system, causing damage.

Sustained high cortisol levels destroy healthy muscle and bone, slow down healing and normal cell regeneration, co-opt biochemical’s needed to make other vital hormones, impair digestion, metabolism and mental function, and interfere with healthy endocrine function as well as weaken your immune system.

Additionally, a weakened immune system can lead to a wide variety of health problems, including asthma, obesity, hypertension, insomnia, migraine headaches and an increased risk of cancer. T cells in the immune system are the body’s only real means of defending itself against cancer cells, and according to the Psychological Harassment Information Association, “stress decreases the number of helper T cells in your body.” (2003). This means people who are consistently stressed are at a higher risk of getting cancer than those who consistently take the time to relax.

Fatigue is a mental and/or physical exhaustion that can be triggered by stress, medication, overwork, or mental and physical illness or disease. As described by the Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine:

 Physically, fatigue is characterized by a profound lack of energy, feelings of muscle weakness, and slowed movements or central nervous system reactions. Fatigue can also trigger serious mental exhaustion. Persistent fatigue can cause a lack of mental clarity (or feeling of mental “fuzziness”), difficulty concentrating, and in some cases memory loss. Consistent levels of fatigue can also cause depression, irritability, digestive problems, and increased susceptibility to illness. (2009).

Studies have shown that massage will decrease the effects of stress and fatigue on the body by decreasing stress and fatigue, in both animals and humans. This information has been around for quite some time, as J.H. Kellogg, M.D. wrote in The Physiological Effects of Massage about massage’s ability to remove the effects of fatigue:

 Ranke, Helmholtz, Du Bois-Raymond, and more recently, Abelous, have conclusively shown that special toxic substances are produced as the result of muscle work, and that the phenomena of fatigue are due to the influence of these substances upon the nervous and muscular systems. Zabloudowski has shown that frogs completely exhausted by faradization of the muscles, although not restored by fifteen minutes’ rest, were revived at once by massage, and were even able to do twice as much work as before. In another experiment, a man lifted with his little finger, one kilo (2 1-5 lbs.) 840 times, lifting the weight once a second. The muscles of his finger were then completely exhausted. After five minutes’ massage he was able to lift the same weight 1100 times, and his muscles were even then not greatly fatigued. Mental fatigue is also relieved by massage, through its effect upon the circulation and the eliminative organs. The toxic substances produced by mental activity, are more rapidly oxidized and removed from the body, while the hastened blood current more thoroughly repairs and cleanses the wearied nerve tissues. The entire nervous stem, through the improved nutrition induced by massages, experiences general reconstructive effects. (1895).

A certified massage therapist, Vicki Platt, highlighted recent findings on the effects of massage in the workplace, including a five-week study at Bowling Green State University, proving massage has the ability to increase mental alertness:

 The individuals who participated in the study were massaged twice a week and completed a math test in half the time, with half the errors as the control group. (2007).

The investigations listed herein have shown beyond any doubt that massage is one of the most effective ways of influencing the human body’s ability to eliminate toxic substances, and thereby recover from fatigue. Massage has the ability to speed the recovery from fatigue at several times the rate of rest alone, and revive the muscles to potentially do more work than they previously could. This information is not new, but it has not been applied to the aviation industry as a legitimate finding on fatigue, and as of now there are no programs available that incorporate these principles.

We know massage can revive muscles, it has the ability to instantly start relieving stress, and it helps cleanse toxins from the body. There are immense health benefits from having a regular detoxifying massage, in addition to the health benefits of maintaining a reduced level of stress. This leads to a healthier, stronger, more relaxed, and more focused workforce. The proposed next step is to incorporate an effective yet affordable massage program into the aviation industry focusing on pilots and air traffic controllers, who are the last lines of defense against a mishap.

The average massage therapist makes approximately $25 per half hour. Ideally, each pilot/controller would be required to get a 30-minute massage two times per week to effectively reduce stress and fatigue. According to a recent safety report, American Airlines holds the record for the most fatalities of carriers in the United States, which could mean they have the most critical safety record of any domestic airline. In order for each pilot working at American Airlines to get the recommended massage twice a week, with their staff of over 11,000 pilots, it would cost over $28.5 million per year. At this rate, a corporate style massage program would not be a cost effective solution. However, there is a solution to the severe costs without sacrificing the benefits that massage brings to aviation.

The benefits of massage are derived from person-to-person contact, but based on the purpose of cleansing toxins from the body to reduce fatigue; a massage chair would provide similar mental and physical benefits. The stimulation provided by a massage chair would effectively reduce the level of stress and fatigue in aviation professionals wherever it was utilized.

The reason most pilots and controllers don’t get regular massages is that it’s inconvenient. Pilots and controllers would have to schedule an appointment to meet with a massage therapist, who probably works different hours than those required by aviation professionals. A massage chair can effectively eliminate the problematic nature of receiving a massage, simply by being there. Having access to a massage 24 hours a day, every day, in the privacy of their home, allows for stress and fatigue relief on the pilots schedule. Being able to receive frequent massage therapy reduces the effects of long-term stress and fatigue on individuals and creates a condition in the body that allows for maximum efficiency.

Many different massage chairs are available, and they vary in style and quality. In order to be a truly cost-effective solution, I had to consider the large sum of money and its potential to leave the country in search of inexpensive chairs. The recommended massage chair is the Human Touch HT-103 Robotic Massage Chair. I chose this chair manufacturer based on their record of quality, price, and most importantly, one that will keep our money in the United States.

The HT-103 introduces three different massage programs, with the optional foot and calf massage easily added to each of the programs available. The Human Touch Technology includes rolling, kneading, compression, and percussion, which effectively relieve muscle tension, improve circulation, clean the toxins from muscle and nerve tissue, induce blood flow, and tone and strengthen muscles.

Pilots and controllers are in desperate need of a solution for the every growing problem of fatigue. Each Human Touch HT-103 Robotic Massage Chair costs $1499; a small price to pay for the relief it brings. Taking a moment to compare this cost to the earlier figure of supplying every American Airlines pilot with a hands-on-massage, which was $28.5 million PER YEAR, the ONE-TIME COST associated with supplying each of these pilots with a massage chair is approximately $16.5 million. The benefits of massage are clear, and the massage chair provides a cost-efective solution to one of the largest problems in aviation.

Investing in the personnel who provide one of our most important modes of transportation is something we must achieve. Millions of dollars are spent on training, technology upgrades, and research. We also provide our aviation professionals with high stress, fast-paced jobs, and require they perform at maximum efficiency. Giving these individuals an outlet for their stress and a way to effectively manage fatigue is imperative for the safety of flying public and the future of aviation as well.

By: Amber Markham, Air Traffic Controller