Astronauts who spend six months on the International Space Station may experience back pain due to a weakening of the muscles that support the spine, finds a new study. Although temporary height gain of up to two inches is a well-known effect of space travel, astronauts have been reporting back pain since the late 1980s, when space missions grew longer. The new research, which was funded by NASA, observed little to no change in intervertebral discs, yet found “tremendous degeneration and atrophying” of the supporting muscles of the lumbar spine, according to Dr. Douglas Chang, the study’s first author. Surgical and medical oncologist Dr. Scott Parazynski, the only astronaut to summit Mount Everest, advises current astronauts on the importance of studies into their health in microgravity. The team’s research will look at neck issues and include partnering with other universities to investigate spinal ultrasounds.
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