GET INTO THE FIGHT!
The True Cost of Cervical MSK
Cost to the Warfighter
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Neck pain is endemic in high-G aviation. In a recent Military Medicine study, 51% of fighter pilots reported neck pain, and 39% reported time lost from flying because of it. 1
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The Air Force’s own leadership has flagged the problem: the Aircrew Task Force identified neck and back injuries as a major reason for pilot attrition—particularly in fighter communities that experience significant G-forces. 2
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Across the force, musculoskeletal injuries (MSKIs) account for the majority of non-deployability and limited-duty days; a 2025 analysis associates 65% of non-deployable status and ~60% of limited-duty days with MSKIs. 3
Cost to the Taxpayer
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MSKIs are not just painful—they are expensive. Best-available estimates put the DoW’s (Department of War) MSKI bill at ~$3.7B per year (direct care + private-sector costs), driven by millions of clinic visits and lost workdays. 4
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At the national level, musculoskeletal diseases cost the U.S. ~$980B annually (~5.8% of GDP) in medical care and lost productivity—demonstrating the scale of the problem MSK prevention can address. 5
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Pilot losses are uniquely costly. RAND estimates the Air Force invests ~$5.6M to train an F-16 pilot and up to ~$10.9M for an F-22 pilot (before years of seasoning). Preventable cervical MSK that sidelines or accelerates separation of a pilot risks wasting that investment and shrinking combat readiness. 6
Meet ALVIN™
An AI-powered digital twin coaching system designed to work in tandem with the CerviFit® neck-strengthening device. Its core mission is to reduce neck and spine-related musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries among fighter pilots and other high-risk populations by delivering real-time, personalized training, monitoring, and performance optimization.
By capturing biomechanical data through CerviFit® and integrating it with predictive analytics, ALVIN™ provides customized exercise regimens, early warning for potential injury, and ongoing performance feedback. It enhances operational readiness, supports remote rehabilitation for rural veterans, and aligns with Department of Defense goals for warfighter health, retention, and cost savings.
In short, ALVIN™ transforms CerviFit units into intelligent, adaptive coaching platforms—making every device a long-term investment in warfighter resilience and recovery.
Injury Prevention Through Personalized Coaching
ALVIN™ uses real-time data from CerviFit® to create adaptive, AI-driven training regimens tailored to each user’s biomechanics. This reduces overtraining, corrects poor technique, and significantly lowers the risk of neck and spine-related MSK injuries—particularly among fighter pilots and tactical athletes.
Enhanced Warfighter Readiness and Retention
By proactively managing neck health, ALVIN™ helps preserve flight status and reduce downtime due to injury. This supports force readiness objectives, mitigates costly pilot attrition, and aligns with the DOD's Optimizing the Human Weapon System (OHWS) goals.
Scalable Integration With Existing Programs
ALVIN™ can be deployed across multiple branches and seamlessly integrated into existing platforms such as OHWS and CRAFT. Its modular architecture supports expansion from pilot trials to wing-wide or enterprise-level implementations.
Data-Driven Research and Innovation
Every CerviFit® unit powered by ALVIN™ contributes to a growing dataset that supports MSK research, predictive modeling, and evidence-based policy changes. This positions ALVIN™ as both a care solution and a research asset for continuous military medical advancement.
Tangible ROI and Cost Savings
The combined CerviFit® + ALVIN™ system reduces reliance on reactive care, physical therapy sessions, and long-term disability compensation. When scaled, this proactive approach offers millions in annual savings to the VA and DOD health systems while improving health outcomes.
Continuous Performance Optimization
Through longitudinal tracking, ALVIN™ provides individualized performance insights and benchmarks against normative data. This enables users—and their care teams—to identify performance plateaus or regressions and intervene early, enhancing long-term outcomes.
Remote Monitoring and Rural Accessibility
ALVIN™ can be deployed across multiple branches and seamlessly integrated into existing platforms such as OHWS and CRAFT. Its modular architecture supports expansion from pilot trials to wing-wide or enterprise-level implementations.
What is the CerviFit®?
The patented, U.S.-manufactured CerviFit® isn’t just another training tool—it’s a warfighter-validated strength system built to meet the operational demands of America’s elite. Its open-faced exoskeletal frame and stackable 1-lb rubber-coated plates place resistance precisely at the apex of the forehead, using the physics of the fulcrum to amplify load while minimizing volume. The result: complete activation of deep flexors, extensors, and stabilizers for true neck-specific progressive overload—the cornerstone of human performance and injury prevention.
Built on an already Air Force–proven training system that both fighter pilots and conditioning staff recognize and favor, CerviFit® bridges innovation with adoption—solving one of the greatest challenges in human performance: compliance. The result is a recognized, reliable, cost-effective, and replicable solution ready for deployment across the DoD, VA, and civilian performance sectors.
When enhanced with ALVIN™ , CerviFit® evolves from hardware into an intelligent ecosystem. When complete, ALVIN™ captures real-time biomechanical data, delivers adaptive AI-driven feedback, and enables remote monitoring and training—turning every session into actionable insight.
Together, CerviFit® and ALVIN™ form the backbone of the Warfighter Advanced Strengthening Program (WASP™)—a translational platform designed to strengthen, sustain, and safeguard the Warfighter.
Flip Book
CEO/Founder Alan Philipson
Our Mission
The Fight to 500: Answering the Call, Proving the Market
The Fight to 500 initiative is a strategic campaign to raise, through our Xendow scientific partner 501(c)(3), a minimum of $500,000 in philanthropic and scientific funding. This target is designed to directly match the maximum award threshold of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) SBIR Phase I grant.
More than a fundraising milestone, this effort represents a compelling proof of commercialization and adoption. By rallying support from donors, foundations, and mission-aligned partners, we are addressing the NSF’s central question: Will this innovation be embraced by its intended stakeholders? Each contribution demonstrates both belief and commitment—validating CerviFit® as a scalable solution for real-world deployment.
This initiative is fully aligned with defense health priorities emphasized by President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who have prioritized musculoskeletal injury mitigation and warfighter longevity as cornerstones of national readiness. CerviFit® offers a targeted, cost-effective answer to one of the military’s most enduring challenges—chronic neck strain and injury among fighter pilots and other high-performance operators.
Importantly, CerviFit® is not limited to the warfighter, as a translational technology, it can be rapidly deployed through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system and Tri-care to serve rural Veterans who often lack access to specialized rehabilitation resources, and extended further to Medicare recipients nationwide. This dual-channel pathway ensures both service members and civilians benefit from the same science-driven innovation, expanding the impact of every dollar raised.
Supporting this vision is the United States Air Force’s 2024 Military Medicine study, which evaluated CerviFit® against an alternative device and found CerviFit® superior. The study concluded that “further research is needed to validate the results,” underscoring both the promise and the urgency for continued investigation and deployment.1
Once registered, CerviFit® will hold the unique distinction and significant market advantage of being the only patented, FDA cleared, AI driven cervical home therapy solution. This scientific credibility, combined with regulatory clearance, positions CerviFit® as a first-in-class device with an unparalleled opportunity for adoption across DoD, VA, and Medicare populations.
“The Fight to 500 is far more than a fundraising goal—it is a decisive response to validated medical need, national defense priorities, and hard scientific evidence. Each tax-deductible contribution is not merely financial support, but an investment in readiness, recovery, and the modernization of medicine itself—building a proactive human performance infrastructure for those who serve and those who heal.”
Fight’s On!!!
Alan Philipson
Meet the Team
The CerviFit® team unites experts in neurology, rehab, and tech to advance Warfighter readiness and reduce injury.
Meet The Real Alvin
A Tribute to Dr. Alvin L. Philipson (Capt. USAF; Ret.)
The name ALVIN carries a profound weight—not only as an acronym for innovation in human performance, but as a tribute to the man who inspired it: Dr. Alvin L. Philipson. A devoted father, husband, inventor, and patriot, Dr. Philipson embodied a life of service, integrity, and relentless curiosity. His legacy continues to shape lives, both within his family and far beyond.
Born with a natural intellect and an insatiable drive to serve, Dr. Philipson answered his country’s call by commissioning into the United States Air Force, where he served honorably as a Captain. His time in uniform forged within him a lifelong respect for discipline, duty, and sacrifice—values he passed down to his children not by lecture, but by example. The Air Force instilled in him not only the importance of mission and readiness but also a spirit of innovation that would define his professional life.
Dr. Philipson's career extended far beyond his military service. As a Dentist and Oral Surgeon, clinician, and inventor, he combined rigorous intellect with creative brilliance. He held several patents and developed technologies aimed at improving quality of life and solving practical problems in Dentistry and beyond.
Whether it was enhancing diagnostic tools or creating solutions for everyday health issues, Dr. Philipson brought the same precision and purpose to his inventions that he once brought to the uniform he wore and the people he served. Yet, for all his accomplishments, it was his unwavering devotion to his family and community that stood tallest. He was a steady presence, a moral compass, and a quiet hero who never sought recognition but always gave his best. He taught his three son's, Baron, Robert and Alan, that the greatest legacy one can leave is not just what they build, but who they build—and in that, he left the world richer.
The ALVIN system—Aircrew Longevity, Vitality, and Injury Neutralization—is named in his honor not just because of his name, but because of his spirit. It represents the fusion of service, science, and selflessness that defined Dr. Philipson’s life. It stands as a living reminder that one man’s commitment to making life better can echo through generations.
Dr. Alvin L. Philipson may have taken his final flight from this world, but through ALVIN and the lives he touched, his mission continues—steadfast, resilient, and guided by heart.
"A risk averse culture means officers execute not to lose instead of to win. A risk
averse culture means NCOs are not empowered to enforce standards. Commanders and
NCOs don't take necessary risks or make tough adjustments for fear of rocking the boat or making mistakes.... These directives are designed to take the monkey off your back and put you, the leadership, back in the driver's seat. Move out with urgency because we have your back. I have your back, and the commander in chief has your back."- Secretary of War 23:51
Fight's on aligns with new War Department Mandates
Warfighter First Mandate:
As both the Commander in Chief, President Donald J. Trump, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth have emphasized, the future of American defense depends on innovation that translates directly to the warfighter. This is not about theory or aspiration—it’s about readiness, resilience, and recovery measured through mission outcomes, while maximizing the return on investment (ROI) for the American taxpayer.
CerviFit® Introduction to the U.S. Air Force:
Since its introduction in December 2019 at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base under the first Trump Administration, CerviFit® has earned praise and adoption from both warfighters and their strength and conditioning teams. The Air Force’s own findings, as published in the 2024 Military Medicine Journal study, validate CerviFit’s effectiveness in enhancing neck strength and reducing musculoskeletal strain. The study concludes: "Further research is needed to validate the results of this study." This is where the technology we develop will provide evidentiary validation furthering Warfighter readiness.
WASP® (Warfighter Advanced Strengthening Program) / OHWS (Optimizing Human Weapon Systems):
Following the initial delivery to Seymour Johnson AFB in 2019, we partnered with former F-14/F-18 Top Gun pilot and instructor Cmdr. Scott “Flake” Snow to submit our technology-based solution to the OHWS (Optimizing Human Weapon Systems) program’s Request for Proposal (RFP). While not selected at that time, CerviFit® earned inclusion on the OHWS Project Manager’s approved products list—an important milestone in its validation process.
Every Dollar Invested in Warfighter Readiness:
The U.S.-manufactured and patented CerviFit®—with its open-faced, universally adjustable neck-strengthening design—is far more than an exercise device. It is a translational, evidence-based solution engineered to address one of the most common and costly musculoskeletal challenges in the armed forces: cervical pain, fatigue, and injury.
Through coordinated public and private investment—including a forthcoming SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF)—CerviFit® will integrate advanced biomechanics, data analytics, and AI-driven feedback to deliver measurable gains in human performance. The result: warfighters who train smarter, recover faster, and sustain peak performance longer.
A New War Department Focused on Translational, Evidence-Based Technology and the Next Generation WASP® Program:
In partnership with Mount Sinai Hospital, our board includes pioneers and emerging leaders in medicine and biomechanics. This board provides the evidence-based expertise and solution-driven depth necessary to deliver such an ambitious and impactful program—building on nearly half a decade of documented CerviFit® success among fighter pilots.
Consistent with Secretary Hegseth’s mandate to invest proactively in warfighter readiness, this effort aligns with the development of ALVIN™ (Aviator Longevity, Vitality, and Injury Neutralization)—the AI-driven digital twin at the core of the Cervical Training Program (CTP) within the Warfighter Advanced Strengthening Program (WASP®).
By leveraging the already proven CerviFit® platform within the U.S. Air Force, we will deliver a holistic, scalable system aligned with the War Department’s modernization priorities: lethality, resilience, and translational medicine.
This embodies the very essence of Secretary Hegseth’s call to action—rapidly fielding emerging technologies that restore the warrior ethos and strengthen the human weapon system as decisively as any platform or machine.
CerviFit® stands ready to serve that mission—because the warfighter deserves nothing less than a stronger tomorrow.
Alan Philipson
Founder & CEO, Homelynx Health, Inc.
Inventor, CerviFit®
