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Machine of the month
Lumbar-Extension-Machine
We can improve or even eliminate the problems associated with a loss of muscle mass caused by physical inactivity and a lack of resistance by by specifically strengthening the back muscles that stabilise the spine.
The Lumbar Extension Therapy machines provide effective training for muscles that are very difficult to target.
Normally when you straighten your back, the erector spinae muscles do not work on their own but work with the gluteal and leg muscles in what is known as a muscle chain (refer to article “5 Questions on …”). On the LE machine, they can’t work with other muscles. The LE machine has a special restraint system consisting of pelvic roller pad, foot rest, thigh pad and thigh belt. This ensures that the auxiliary muscles are “deactivated” and the exercise is done solely by the erector spinae muscles. By isolating the muscles, we can target the erector spinae and so strengthen them. This is why therapy is so effective and successful.
Expert’s Tip
Do you suffer from chronic back pain, facet joint dysfunction, prolapsed disc or nerve-root irritation? You don’t have to – in 8 out of 10 cases, the cause is weak erector spinae muscles, the deep back extensor muscles that keep the spine erect and stable.
To train these muscles, I recommend Medical Strengthening Therapy: The medical professional at your facility will design a special programme based on a precise diagnosis of the strength of your erector spinae and the range of motion of the spine. During subsequent training, you will be accompanied by a therapist.
A recent study showed how effective therapy is: After just three months, participants in the study reported a 36% reduction in pain intensity and a reduction of 42% in the impairment caused by that pain. Many patients reported reduced pain after just three sessions – if we can break the vicious circle of pain followed by excercise avoidance to minimise that pain, we can increase strength levels exerted in both training and daily life.
For more information, please contact the Medical Strengthening Therapy Department in your facility.
Dr. Sven Goebel, Research Department Kieser Training
Latest research – pain
Strength training reduces pain by an average of 36 %
In the study conducted under the banner “Kieser Training works”, Werner Kieser demonstrated the effectiveness of his method of training (refer to cover page). One of the most interesting results was the positive effect that strength training had on the participants‘ vulnerability to pain. The study, conducted by the Research & Development Department of Kieser Training, involved 531 participants from the 119 Kieser Training facilities in Germany who trained twice a week for 6 months under normal training conditions. At the start of the study, 8 out of 10 participants had painful symptoms. By the end of the 6-month period, 42 % had eliminated their pain completely. To collect the required data, we used self-assessment questionnaires. Participants were asked to indicate on a scale of 1 to 6 the level of physical pain in the preceding four weeks. On average, participants recorded a drop of 36 % in their pain levels during the course of the study.
Physical pain is important in everyday life because it acts as a warning and so helps the body protect itself from further damage. Our instinct, particularly with back pain, is to avoid any movement that triggers pain. However, in most cases, this means that we adopt an unbalanced posture. Certain muscle groups are put under undue strain and so become tense. This intensifies the pain and the result is a vicious circle. If we rest the spine, our muscles are not subject to an adequate load. They become weak and are no longer able to work properly. Well-trained muscles support and protect the musculoskeletal system by acting as a corset.
An effective remedy is to build up strength by doing moderate machinebased training. The “Kieser Training works” study showed that the reduction in pain also reduced the disabling effects of pain: The “Effects of Pain Index” (EPI) was used to measure the effect pain had on the mood, sleep, recreation and vitality of participants. At the end of the study, the EPI of participants who had been in severe pain and who completed Medical Strength Therapy showed a 50% reduction in the disabling effects of pain.
5 Questions... about muscles
One muscle rarely works on its own – in most cases several muscles work together.
How does a muscle work?
A muscle contracts. That’s all it can do. The brain sends out a message telling it to contract – this message travels along the spine and when it reaches the motor end-plate the nerve fibres transfer it to the muscle fibres. The command can be voluntary or involuntary. When a muscle contracts, it moves a bone in one or more joints – the movement therefore based on the principle of tension and counter-tension.
What is the role of an agonist?
Muscles are not lone warriors; both the agonist and antagonist are on the same side and work together. In most cases, one muscle will have prime responsibility for the movement and it is called the agonist. For example, let’s look at leg extensions on the B1; as you would expect, the muscles with prime responsibility are the leg extensors on the front of the thigh.
So what does the antagonist do?
To ensure the movement is properly coordinated the antagonist has to do its bit. In our B1 example, the antagonist would be the leg flexors at the back of the thigh. Acting as antagonists, the leg extensors gradually yield and are thus extended. This braking action serves to regulate the movement. If the leg is then moved in the opposite direction, the antagonist contracts. Similarly, with a leg curl on the B7, the leg flexors at the back of the thigh act as agonist and the muscles at the front of the thigh become the antagonist. In other words, depending upon the machine used, muscles are agonist for some of the time and antagonist at other times.
What is a muscle chain?
There are few movements in the body that are the result of the actions of a single muscle. In most cases, a movement is a complex interaction between several muscles or even muscle chains. For example on the B6 (leg press), you use not only the thigh muscles but also the gluteal muscles (buttock muscles). In this case, they form a muscle chain.
How do muscles work in an exercise with a rhythm of 4-2-4?
During strength training, when you tighten (i.e. contract) a muscle you are working against a resistance. Kieser Training uses the three main ways in which muscles work. When you lift the weight, muscles contract and so become shorter. You overcome the resistance and the weight is raised. This concentric movement corresponds to the first four seconds of each repetition. During the next two seconds, the weight is held, the muscle remains tightened but is not contracted further. Even this static hold provides an adequate training stimulus. During the final four seconds in which the weight is lowered, your muscles work in an eccentric way, i.e. they are stretched under tension and so slow down the movement to lower the weight – this acts as a further, extremely intense stimulus to the muscles.
