Articles

Stay current with priceless advice on training, nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle topics from one of Canada's leading health & fitness authorities! Sign-up today for our FREE Monthly Newsletter filled with tips, articles, news, motivational quotes, and more. Simply fill out the information on our newsletter sign-up on any of our pages to start your subscription today! Monthly newsletters coming online shortly.

Subscribe with confidence! Your information is treated with utmost care and is always kept confidential.

Our exceptional practitioners have contributed some of their favourite articles on topics that you will find interesting.

Water Treadmill Beneficial for Total Hip Replacement (THR) Patients (Sports Injury Bulletin)
To see whether underwater treadmill workouts might have real value for THR subjects, researchers in the Sports Medicine Institute at Aurora Health Care in Milwaukee, WI recently worked with 20 post-operative THR patients (10 males and 10 females) from the same orthopaedic surgeon. Six weeks after surgery, all 20 subjects received the standard protocol of physical therapy two (2) times per week for three (3) weeks. However, half of the subjects worked out for an additional 20 minutes per session using the Hydrotrack 'underwater' treadmill. After the three-week program was completed, individuals who used the underwater treadmill had significantly greater hip abduction strength (i.e., strength while moving the leg laterally away from the body), compared with control subjects. This is a key finding, because losses in abduction strength are common after THR and can have a strongly negative impact on gait (walking pattern). The scientists involved in this project recommended that individuals who undergo cemented THR surgery should begin exercising on a Hydrotrack Treadmill, if possible, about four (4) weeks after the operation is completed. Such exercise should improve hip abduction strength and improve gait stability during the critical rehabilitation period following surgery.

Underwater treadmill: Want it to be harder? "Walk backwards!" say researchers

Masumoto K, Hamada A, Tomonaga HO, Kodama K, Amamoto Y, Nishizaki Y, Hotta N. Physiological and perceptual responses to backward and forward treadmill walking in water. Gait Posture. 2009 Feb;29(2):199-203. Epub 2008 Sep 30.

Institute of Health Science, Kyushu University, 6-1 Kasuga-koen, Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580, Japan. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

We compared physiological and perceptual responses, and stride characteristics while walking backward in water with those of walking forward in water.

Eight males walked on an underwater treadmill, immersed to their xiphoid process level. Oxygen uptake ((.)V(O2)), respiratory exchange ratio (R), heart rate (HR), minute ventilation ((.)V(E)), blood lactate concentration (BLa), ratings of perceived exertion (RPE: for breathing and legs, RPE-Br and RPE-Legs, respectively), blood pressure (for systolic and diastolic pressures, SBP and DBP, respectively), and step frequency (SF) were measured.

In addition, step length (SL) was calculated. (.)V(O2), R, HR, V (E), BLa, RPE-Br, RPE-Legs, and SBP were significantly higher while walking backward in water than when walking forward in water (P<0.05).

Furthermore, SF was significantly higher (P<0.001) and SL was significantly lower (P<0.001) while walking backward in water, compared to walking forward in water.

These results indicate that walking backward in water elicits higher physiological and perceptual responses than those produced when walking forward in water at the same speed.

Talbot living his nightmare (October 1, 2009 - The Toronto Sun): Spends rehab time on underwater treadmill

Leaf prospect DiDomenico battles back from nasty break (October 23, 2009 - Toronto Star): Spends rehab time on underwater treadmill

Weblogic

Main Menu

Upcoming Events