A harness for enhanced comfort and loading during treadmill exercise in space

Autor: Peter R. Cavanagh, Andrea J. Rice, Sara C. Novotny, Aasthaa Bansal, Bryan A. Comstock, Gail P. Perusek
Rok vydání: 2013
Předmět:
Zdroj: Acta Astronautica. 89:205-214
ISSN: 0094-5765
Popis: Introduction Locomotor and some resistance exercises in space require a gravity replacement force in order to allow 1g-like ground reaction forces to be generated. Currently bungee cords, or other loading devices, interface with the crew member through a harness with a waist belt and shoulder straps. Crew members often find the application of the required loads to be uncomfortable, particularly at the hips. Methods An experimental harness was built that differed from previous in-flight designs by having a wider, moldable waist belt and contoured shoulder straps with additional padding. Eight subjects ran at 100% body weight (BW) loading for a total duration of 30 min per day on 12 days over a 3-week period in simulated 0-g conditions using horizontal suspension. A 100 mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) 1 was used to assess harness-related and lower extremity discomfort at the end of each run. Results The overall rating of harness discomfort decreased from 27 mm on the 100 mm scale on day 1 to 10 mm on day 12, with significant decreases recorded for the back and hip regions as well as the overall harness. Discussion The experimental harness allows for repeated exposure to 30-minute bouts of 100% BW loaded simulated 0-g running with levels of discomfort less than 30 mm on a VAS scale of 0–100 mm. We believe that the use of such a harness during on-orbit exercise countermeasures may allow exercise to be performed at levels which are more effective in preventing bone and muscle loss.
Databáze: OpenAIRE