Testing New Exercise Technique

Testing New Exercise Technique


A year ago, Michael Bemben, professor of health and exercise science in the University of Oklahoma College of Arts and Sciences, was invited to the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to formally announce the partnership between the American College of Sports Medicine and Sato Sports Plaza of Japan. The partnership is an effort to facilitate independent research projects around the country to examine the efficacy of a new type of training technique.



Bemben's lab at the university is currently only one of four labs outside of Japan that has been working with the KAATSU-Master training system, testing the effectiveness of reducing blood flow to exercising muscle. This technique allows for a reduction of the external loads that need to be lifted from a traditional high load of 80 percent of a person's strength down to 20 percent while maintaining all the benefits of the high-intensity programs. KAATSU-Master has been in development for more than 40 years in Japan and now is working on building research abroad regarding the many benefits and uses for the equipment.



KAATSU-Master may be used by both professional athletes and older adults in need of activities that limit physical stress to the body, giving them both similar benefits of weight training without having to lift heavy loads and deal with high joint stress. Other advantages may include faster rehabilitation or physical therapy for orthopedic problems, reduced hospital stays, and reduced muscle and bone loss during space flight. Both NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA are working with KAATSU-Master for use in space exploration.



OU's lab has completed several different studies on men and women of various ages, including 18- to 25-year-olds and 50- to 64-year-olds, using KAATSU-Master to compare both the acute and chronic responses of muscle and bone to traditional high-intensity weight training and muscle endurance weight-training interventions.



In general, they have found an increase in markers for bone formation; a decrease in markers of bone resorption; increases in hormones responsible for muscle growth; increases in muscle strength and size; no changes in inflammatory markers; and increased muscle activation that are similar to or enhanced when compared to traditional high-intensity resistance training programs.



If this training technique is confirmed to be safe and effective by this new research initiative by the American College of Sports Medicine, then it is hoped that a program ultimately could be established that would certify trainers worldwide to use this equipment in a variety of settings with many different populations.



The Department of Health and Exercise Science is the third-largest department in the OU College of Arts and Sciences. Faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students have multiple ongoing research projects that involve different aspects of exercise physiology and health promotion. For more information, visit their Web site at http://hes.ou.edu.



Source: Michael Bemben

University of Oklahoma

Treatment for Medial Meniscus Tear

A great summary from the Sports Injury Clinic...

What is a medial meniscus injury?
The medial meniscus is more prone to injury than the lateral meniscus as it is connected to the medial collateral ligament and the joint capsule and so is less mobile. Hence, any forces impacting from the outer surface of the knee, such as a rugby tackle, can severly damage the medial meniscus. In addition, medial meniscal injuries are often also associted with injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament. Other mechanisms of injury may be twisting of the knee or degenerative changes that are associated with age. Any of these circumstances may lead to tearing of the medial meniscus, which in serious cases may require surgical intervention.

Symptoms of medial meniscus tear
A history of trauma or twisting of the knee
Pain on the inner surface of the knee joint
Swelling of the knee within 24-48 hours of injury
Inability to bend knee fully- this may be associated with pain or a clicking noise
A positive sign (pain and/or clicking noise) during a "McMurrays test"
Pain when rotating and pressing down on the knee in prone position (video).
"Locking" of the knee
Inability to weight bear on the affected side

Types of meniscal injuries:
Degenerative Changes: This may lead to edges of the menisci becoming frayed and jagged
Longitudical Tears: This is a tear that occurs along the length of the meniscus
Bucket- Handle Tears: This is an exaggerated form of a longitudical tear where a portion of the meniscus becomes detached from the tibia forming a flap that looks like a bucket handle

Treatment of medial cartilage meniscus injury

What can the athlete do:

Apply RICE to the injured knee.
Wear a heat retainer or support.
Gentle exercises to maintain quadriceps strength, although care should be taken not to aggravate the symptoms.
Take a glucosamine / joint healing supplement.
Consult a Sports Injury Specialist.

A Sports Injury Clinician May:

The first aim of the sports injury specialist will be to correctly diagnose the injury. He/she may do this by utilizing specific tests for meniscal tears such as a "McMurrays" test. Once diagnised the practitioner may consider two different modes of treatment depending on the extent of the injury.

1. Conservative Treatment
This may be indicated in the case of a small tear or a degenerative meniscus and may involve:

Ice, compression and recommendation of NSAIDs e.g. Ibuprofen.
Electrotherapy i.e ultasound, laser therapy and TENS.
Manual therapy
Once pain has subsided, exercises to increase range of movement, balance and maintain quadriceps strength may be prescribed. These may include: squating, single calf raises and wobble-board techniques.

2. Surgical Intervention
In the event of more severe meniscal tears such as a bucket handle tear, arthroscopic surgical procedures may be necessary to repair the lesion. The aim of surgery is to preserve as much of the meniscus cartilage as possible. The procedure itself will normally invlove stitching of the torn cartilage. The success of the surgery depends not only on the severity of the tear but also on the age and physical condition of the patient. Younger and fitter patients are known to have better outcomes.

Following surgery a rehabilitive exercise program will be outlined for the patient which may include strenghtening and balance training. Full co-operation with the rehabilitive technique will be necessary to maximise recovery.