Postflight reconditioning for European Astronauts – a case report of recovery after six months in space
Postflight reconditioning for European Astronauts – a case report of recovery after six months in space
Background: Postflight reconditioning of astronauts is understudied. Despite a rigorous, daily inflight exercise countermeasures programme during six months in microgravity (?G) on-board the International Space Station (ISS), physiological impairments occur and postflight reconditioning is still required on return to Earth. Such postflight programmes are implemented by space agency reconditioning specialists.
Case Description and Assessments: A 38 year old male European Space Agency (ESA) crewmember's pre- and postflight (at six and 21 days after landing) physical performance from a six-month mission to ISS are described. Assessments: muscle strength (squat and bench press 1 Repetition Maximum) and power (vertical jump), core muscle endurance and hip flexibility (Sit and Reach, Thomas Test).
Interventions: In-flight, the astronaut undertook a rigorous daily (2-h) exercise programme. The 21 day postflight reconditioning exercise concept focused on motor control and functional training, and was delivered in close co-ordination by the ESA physiotherapist and exercise specialist to provide the crewmember with comprehensive reconditioning support.
Outcomes: Despite an intensive inflight exercise programme in this highly motivated crewmember, postflight performance showed impairments at R+6 for most parameters, all of which recovered by R+21 except muscular power (jump tests).
Conclusions: Regardless of intense inflight exercise countermeasures and excellent compliance to postflight reconditioning, postflight performance showed impairments at R+6 for most parameters. Complex powerful performance tasks took longer to return to preflight values. Research is needed to develop optimal inflight and postflight exercise programmes to overcome the negative effects of microgravity and return the astronaut to preflight status as rapidly as possible.
S23-S31
Petersen, N.
01145cf6-177b-4489-a398-260a4482d59b
Lambrecht, G.
e2ca251a-1ecf-4f1a-8b11-86d4f91aa15f
Scott, J.
d66f6ef2-64d7-4c3c-966b-bcc61eddf20c
Hirsch, N.
672d85fa-ab6e-430f-8fd1-aa9f2bed1eaf
Stokes, M.
71730503-70ce-4e67-b7ea-a3e54579717f
Mester, J.
39c9409c-73d5-4e4e-8d07-caf0a1ca5af8
January 2017
Petersen, N.
01145cf6-177b-4489-a398-260a4482d59b
Lambrecht, G.
e2ca251a-1ecf-4f1a-8b11-86d4f91aa15f
Scott, J.
d66f6ef2-64d7-4c3c-966b-bcc61eddf20c
Hirsch, N.
672d85fa-ab6e-430f-8fd1-aa9f2bed1eaf
Stokes, M.
71730503-70ce-4e67-b7ea-a3e54579717f
Mester, J.
39c9409c-73d5-4e4e-8d07-caf0a1ca5af8
Petersen, N., Lambrecht, G., Scott, J., Hirsch, N., Stokes, M. and Mester, J.
(2017)
Postflight reconditioning for European Astronauts – a case report of recovery after six months in space.
[in special issue: Terrestrial Neuro-musculoskeletal Rehabilitation and Astronaut Reconditioning: Reciprocal Knowledge Transfer]
Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, 27, supplement 1, .
(doi:10.1016/j.msksp.2016.12.010).
Abstract
Background: Postflight reconditioning of astronauts is understudied. Despite a rigorous, daily inflight exercise countermeasures programme during six months in microgravity (?G) on-board the International Space Station (ISS), physiological impairments occur and postflight reconditioning is still required on return to Earth. Such postflight programmes are implemented by space agency reconditioning specialists.
Case Description and Assessments: A 38 year old male European Space Agency (ESA) crewmember's pre- and postflight (at six and 21 days after landing) physical performance from a six-month mission to ISS are described. Assessments: muscle strength (squat and bench press 1 Repetition Maximum) and power (vertical jump), core muscle endurance and hip flexibility (Sit and Reach, Thomas Test).
Interventions: In-flight, the astronaut undertook a rigorous daily (2-h) exercise programme. The 21 day postflight reconditioning exercise concept focused on motor control and functional training, and was delivered in close co-ordination by the ESA physiotherapist and exercise specialist to provide the crewmember with comprehensive reconditioning support.
Outcomes: Despite an intensive inflight exercise programme in this highly motivated crewmember, postflight performance showed impairments at R+6 for most parameters, all of which recovered by R+21 except muscular power (jump tests).
Conclusions: Regardless of intense inflight exercise countermeasures and excellent compliance to postflight reconditioning, postflight performance showed impairments at R+6 for most parameters. Complex powerful performance tasks took longer to return to preflight values. Research is needed to develop optimal inflight and postflight exercise programmes to overcome the negative effects of microgravity and return the astronaut to preflight status as rapidly as possible.
Text
Postflight reconditioning for European astronauts - a case report.pdf
- Accepted Manuscript
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Postflight reconditioning for European astronauts ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT.pdf
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 1 November 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 19 December 2016
Published date: January 2017
Organisations:
Faculty of Health Sciences
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 405193
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/405193
ISSN: 2468-7812
PURE UUID: e20c79ce-12cf-437f-a2e3-251d76babea2
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Date deposited: 30 Jan 2017 11:31
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:30
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Contributors
Author:
N. Petersen
Author:
G. Lambrecht
Author:
J. Scott
Author:
N. Hirsch
Author:
J. Mester
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