Supine lower body negative pressure exercise simulates metabolic and kinetic features of upright exercise.

Exercise within an artificial gravity environment may help prevent microgravity-induced deconditioning. We hypothesized that supine lower body negative pressure (LBNP) exercise simulates physiological and biomechanical features of upright exercise. Walking (4.5 +/- 0.3 km/h) and running (8.0 +/- 1.0 km/h) while supine within a LBNP exerciser were compared with walking and running while upright. Eight healthy subjects exercised for 5 min at each of the four posture/gait conditions. LBNP of 52 +/- 4 mmHg generated one body weight of supine ground reaction force (GRF). Gait parameters and GRFs were measured during the third minute of exercise, and heart rate and oxygen consumption were measured during the fifth minute. Oxygen consumption during supine LBNP treadmill exercise [walking: 14.6 +/- 0.9; running: 32.2 +/- 1.6 (SE) ml. min(-1). kg(-1)] was similar to that during upright treadmill exercise (walking: 15.1 +/- 0.9; running: 34.0 +/- 1.9 ml. min(-1). kg(-1)). Heart rate for supine LBNP exercise (grand mean: 133 +/- 11 beats/min) was also similar to that for upright exercise (136 +/- 11 beats/min). Footward forces integrated over each stride (330.5 +/- 34.4 vs. 319. 1 +/- 29.6 N. s) and rate of force generation (26,483 +/- 4,310 vs. 25,634 +/- 4,434 N/s) were similar for upright and LBNP exercise, respectively. Our collective results indicate that supine exercise within LBNP can simulate the physiological stress and GRFs that are generated during upright gait.

Supine lower body negative pressure exercise during bed rest maintains upright exercise capacity.

Bed rest and spaceflight reduce exercise fitness. Supine lower body negative pressure (LBNP) treadmill exercise provides integrated cardiovascular and musculoskeletal stimulation similar to that imposed by upright exercise in Earth gravity. We hypothesized that 40 min of supine exercise per day in a LBNP chamber at 1.0-1.2 body wt (58 +/- 2 mmHg LBNP) maintains aerobic fitness and sprint speed during 15 days of 6 degrees head-down bed rest (simulated microgravity). Seven male subjects underwent two such bed-rest studies in random order: one as a control study (no exercise) and one with daily supine LBNP treadmill exercise. After controlled bed-rest, time to exhaustion during an upright treadmill exercise test decreased 10%, peak oxygen consumption during the test decreased 14%, and sprint speed decreased 16% (all P < 0.05). Supine LBNP exercise during bed rest maintained all the above variables at pre-bed-rest levels. Our findings support further evaluation of LBNP exercise as a countermeasure against long-term microgravity-induced deconditioning.

Metabolic and cardiovascular effects of a progressive exercise test in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the aerobic power (as maximum volume of oxygen consumed [VO2 max]) of women with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-one women with CFS and 22 sedentary healthy controls (CON) were studied at the CFS Cooperative Research Center Exercise Laboratory at the VA Medical Center, East Orange, New Jersey. Performance was measured on an incremental treadmill protocol walking to exhaustion. Expired gases were analyzed by a metabolic system, heart rate was recorded continuously, and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were taken at each workload. The groups were divided into those who achieved VO2 max (CFS-MAX and CON-MAX) and those who stopped at a submaximal level (CFS-NOMAX and CON-NOMAX) by using standard criteria. RESULTS: Seventeen CON and 10 CFS subjects achieved VO2 max. The VO2 max (mL/kg/min) of the CFS-MAX (28.1 +/- 5.1) was lower than that of the CON-MAX (32.1 +/- 4.3, P = 0.05). The CFS-MAX achieved 98 +/- 11% of predicted VO2 max. The CFS group had a higher RPE at the same absolute workloads as controls (P < 0.01) but not the same relative workloads. CONCLUSION: Compared with normal controls, women with CFS have an aerobic power indicating a low normal fitness level with no indication of cardiopulmonary abnormality. Our CFS group could withstand a maximal treadmill exercise test without a major exacerbation in either fatigue or other symptoms of their illness.

Gait abnormalities in chronic fatigue syndrome.

To evaluate our clinical impression that patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) did not walk normally, we assessed gait kinematics at slow walking speeds (i.e., 0.45, 0.89 and 1.34 m/sec) and 30 m run time speeds on CFS patients and on a comparison group of sedentary controls. Run time was significantly slower for CFS than control subjects (p < 0.001). There was a significant interaction (p < 0.01) between group and speed for maximum hip angle during stance and swing phase with hip angle being significantly larger at 1.34 m/sec for CFS than controls subjects for both cases (p < 0.05). Knee flexion during stance and swing phases was significantly larger for controls than CFS subjects at 0.45 m/sec (p < 0.01). Ratio of stride length divided by leg length was significantly larger for the control subjects than for the CFS subjects with differences occurring at 0.45 and 0.89 m/sec (p < 0.01) but not 1.34 m/sec. The data indicate that CFS patients have gait abnormalities when compared to sedentary controls. These could be due to balance problems, muscle weakness, or central nervous system dysfunction; deciding which will require further research. Evaluation of gait may be a useful tool to measure outcome following therapeutic interventions.