Short Term Bed Rest Study: Evaluation of the Use of Artificial Gravity, Induced by Short-arm Centrifugation

Summary

Randomized cross-over design with 10 male subjects and 3 campaigns to test whether the negative effects of bed rest (6º head-down tilt) on the various systems of the body and the consequences to health of simulated weightlessness can be counteracted by the use of a defined training programme.

Conditions

• Bone Diseases, Metabolic
• Acid-Base Imbalance
• Muscular Atrophy
• Sprains and Strains
• Protein Metabolism
• Body Weight Changes
• Cardiovascular Abnormalities

Interventions

OTHER

Defined Training Programme

A Smith Machine with fixed rails was used to guide the heel raise and squat exercises in the vertical axis. A metronome was used to direct the subjects during the performance of the exercises. Squats and heel raises were performed against body weight plus the additional weight of the barbell (15 kg). The heel raises were performed with straight knees and without ankle dorsiflexion. The shallow squats were performed continuously for 3 minutes. The hopping and the cross-hopping exercises were performed without Smith Machine. The bilateral hops were performed at \~ 3 repetitions per second with 15-s rest insertions between each set. Cross-hopping was performed continuously for 3 minutes against \~ 1.3 repetitions per second. Except for the duration of the static squat, with progressed from 45 s at HDT1 to 70 s at HDT5, none of the exercises were progressed during the study. Including the scheduled rest pauses, the LRT sessions were completed in 24 minutes.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• European Space Agency

  collaborator OTHER

• University Hospital, Angers

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Politecnico di Milano

  collaborator OTHER

• University Hospital, Bonn

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Zurich

  collaborator OTHER

• Leiden University Medical Center

  collaborator OTHER

• German Sport University, Cologne

  collaborator OTHER

• DLR German Aerospace Center

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Edwin Mulder, Dr. · German Aerospace Center

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

20 Years

Max Age

45 Years

Sex

MALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2010-11-30

Primary Completion

2011-05-31

Completion

2011-05-31

Countries

• Germany

Study Locations