Do 3,000 knee bends in 60 seconds

Print

By Paul Mayne
Thursday, April 17, 2008
“The first question we always ask around here is why."
 
 
Kinesiology professor Peter Lemon keeps an eye on graduate student Tom Hazell as he takes a turn on a whole body vibration platform.
 
That's just how Tom Hazell approaches his graduate studies in kinesiology and his investigation into the viability of whole body vibration platforms as an exercise stimulant.
 
Whole body vibration? Well, it's actually just what you think it would be.
 
A treadmill-sized machine by the Windsor company WAVE (Whole Body Advanced Vibration Exercise) delivers a continuous vibration throughout the body. Those who believe in the system say it improves bone density and blood flow, and can help those with other health conditions get stronger.
 
“What we're trying to do is find out why it's doing what it does," says Hazell.
 
Under the leadership of Kinesiology Professor Peter Lemon, Director of the Exercise Nutrition Research Laboratory, three WAVE machines are currently in the lab to determine whether they live up to their promise. WAVE has even provided funding so Lemon and his students can study potential benefits.
 
“We're not obligated in any way to say how great the machine is," says Lemon, adding the firm is, in a way, taking a risk.
 
The vibration platform is said to produce similar results to regular exercise but in less time, while providing less stress on joints, ligaments and tendons. The device has potential for those who cannot handle the stress of conventional training, such as seniors or those with disabilities. As well, it is a potential alternative, or complement, to a regular training program.
 
Lemon says the machine can be used to tackle everything from arthritis, back pain and surgical or sports rehabilitation to increasing the strength and balance of those with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, stroke, and cerebral palsy.
 
In addition, it appears rehabilitation programs can be completed in a fraction of the time and with minimal space utilization.
 
Still, Hazell says he's not about to fall for unproven claims.
 
“You need to be quick to coral all the claims. When you start jumping on the hype bandwagon, that's when you start missing things." Nevertheless, early results have shown beneficial effects. “So perhaps it's not all hype."
 
The technology of the vibration platform was designed to treat bone and lean muscle mass loss in cosmonauts who spent long periods in a weightless environment, in addition to enhancing strength and accelerating recovery in Russian Olympic athletes.
 
The technology was introduced to Europe in the early 1990s, and is now used at universities, pro sports teams and health professionals in the rehabilitation and medical fields.
 
Lemon wants to study the potential benefits for an aging population, such as the minimal stress on joints and improving balance and flexibility.
 
With fellow professors Greg Marsh, Tom Jenkyn and Al Salmoni, Lemon hopes to receive a CIHR Catalyst Grant to work with a study group aged 50-59.
 
“For older candidates, if we can regulate some of their exercise regiments we can not only improve health care, but the quality of life," says Lemon.
 
He refers to one study in which a woman did not require her walker following her participation with the vibration platform.
 
“After no longer using the machine, a short time later she was in need of her walker again," says Lemon, adding it will be interesting to conduct further studies to learn the 'whys and hows' in this and other examples.
 
“The possibility of the studies we can do seem to be endless," admits Lemon. 
 
How WAVE works

The vibration platform drops two or four millimetres. So, if you stand on the vibration plate with a gentle knee bend, when the platform drops two millimetres your muscle is quickly lengthened, or 'stretched'.
 
The body reacts by quickly contracting the muscle. By the time it does that, the platform is already back at the first position. The platform drops again and this is repeated. This way the machine can deliver up to 50 muscle contractions per second.
 
In one minute, WAVE could deliver up to 3,000 muscle contractions, comparable to 3,000 knee bends.   

Also from this web page:

About

Hours

Weekdays
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(holidays excluded)

Contact

Publisher:
Helen Connell (hconnell@uwo.ca)

Editor:
Jason Winders (newseditor@uwo.ca)

Reporter/Photographer:
Paul Mayne (pmayne@uwo.ca)

Reporter/Photographer:
Heather Travis (htravis2@uwo.ca)

Advertising Coordinator:
Denise Jones (advertise@uwo.ca)

Off-Campus Advertising Sales:
Chris Amyot, Campus Ad (campusad@sympatico.ca)

National Advertising Representative:
Campus Plus

Phone:
519-661-2045

Fax:
519-661-3921

Mail:
Western News, Suite 360
Westminster Hall
The University of Western Ontario, London N6A 3K7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Western provides the best student experience among Canada's leading research-intensive universities.