Story highlights
- Astronauts can temporarily gain 2 inches over height but suffer thew loss and back pain
- More countermeasures involving exercise may help assuage pain and muscle loss
(CNN)A six-month stay on the International Space Station may be a pain within the back for astronauts. While they may procurement up to 2 inches in height temporarily, thought effect is accompanied near a weakening of the muscles supporting the thorn, according to a unprecedented study.
In 1994, astronaut Mark Lee had his height uniform by fellow astronaut flimsy Linenger as part from a study on remote pain.
Astronauts exercise been reporting back sorrow since the late 1980s, when space missions grew longer. Their flight medicinal data show that greater than half of US astronauts have reported posterior pain, especially in their lower backs. Up about 28% indicated that they was moderate to trying pain, sometimes lasting the duration of their mission.
Mars mission astronauts could experience brain failure, study says
Things don't improve when man return to Earth's gravity. In the first year after their mission, astronauts have a 4.3 times higher risk of a herniated disc.
"It's species of an ongoing proposition that has been a symbol one with cause inasmuch as concern," said Dr. Douglas Chang, first author with the new study in addition to associate professor of orthopedic surgery and chief from physical medicine and rehabilitation service at University off California San Diego Health. "So this study is the first to retain it from just donkey's years epidemiological description and face at the possible mechanisms for what is behavior on with the astronauts' backs."
Like being pending a body cast
Much attention has been focused on intervertebral discs, the spongy bushy absorbers that sit atween our vertebrae, as the culprit for the posterior issues that astronauts face. But the new instruct runs counter to despite thinking. In this researches, funded by NASA, Chang's team observed little regarding no changes in the discs, their height and/or swelling.
Hope, Courage and Unity: The story behind the young cancer patients what painted space suits
What they did observe within six astronauts who shotten four to seven months on the ISS was a tremendous degeneration as well as atrophying of the supporting musculature in the lumbar (lower) spine, Chang said. These muscles are the ones that help ourselves stay upright, walk if move our upper extremities in an environment promising Earth, while protecting discs and ligaments from straining or injury.
In microgravity, the torso lengthens, most likely due regarding spinal unloading, in what the spinal curvature flattens. Astronauts also aren't using the muscle tone during their lower backs since they aren't bending during or using their threat backs to move, likely on Earth, Chang said. This is where the pain and stiffening occurs, much like if the astronauts were in a person cast for six months.
Our bodies in space: Zero gravity weighs heavy obliquely your health
MRI scans before and after the missions revealed that the astronauts experienced a 19% decrease in these muscles during their flight. "Even after six weeks with training and reconditioning now one Earth, they art only getting about 68% of their losses restored," Chang explained.
Chang in addition to his team consider this a serious issue because long-term manned missions, expressly when considering a fail to Mars that could take eight or abound months just to direction the Red Planet. That trip, and the astronauts' potential time spent pending Martian gravity -- 38% of the surface dignity on Earth -- creates the potential for thew atrophy and deconditioning.
The team's future research decree also look at reported neck issues, where thereat can be even major occurrences of muscle dwindle and a slower revival period. They are so hoping to partner besides another university on inflight ultrasounds of the devise, to look at who happens to astronauts though they are on the space station.
Yoga within space?
Because nobody likes back pain and thew loss, Chang suggested countermeasures that should be added to the already two- to three-hour workout astronauts have on the room station each day. Though their exercise machines heart on a range fro issues including cardiovascular together with skeletal health, the nine believes that space travelers also need to end a core-strenghtening program centred on the spine.
Astronauts ask Congress about take care of their health
In addition about the "fetal tuck" placement astronauts use in weightlessness to stretch their threatening back or alleviate indorse pain, Chang suggested yoga. But he knows maugre is easier said than done.
"A far of yoga depends obliquely the effects of seriousness, like downward dog, situation a stretch through the hamstring, calf muscles, ago of the neck as well as shoulders are possible subsequently of gravity. When I remove that, you be able to not have the selfsame benefit."
Any machines on the space pillar also have to exist designed with regards concerning weight, size and strictly the reverberations they could produce on the station.
Scott Parazynski, which walked in space septenary times, assisted with making on the space post in 2007.
Chang together with the other researchers brainstormed with a virtual incident team about different teach programs that would endow astronauts to invite friends, family or even Twitter followers to join them in a virtual workout, making the daily rehearsal of their workouts greater fun and competitive.
One of Chang's teammates has felt this pain personally. Dr. Scott Parazynski is the only astronaut tractable summit Mount Everest. He experienced a herniated disc after returning from the ISS to Earth. Less than a year ago, when he attempted regarding climb Everest the highest time, he had regarding be airlifted off. After a rehabilitation process, qualifier eventually made the summit. Now, he speaks docile current astronauts about the ways they can bestow to studies about their health in microgravity.
Join the conversation
See the latest news if share your comments plus CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter.
Keeping the astronauts healthy and outfit is the least man can do, Chang said.
"When a crew comes back, they say cross one side of the space station, they total this beautiful blue planet," he said. "Everything it hold dear to them is on this friable little planet. And it look out the disparate window and just complete infinity stretching off intil the blackness, and male come back with a additional sense of themselves together with their place in the universe.
"All of them are committed to furthering space knowledge and preparing incremental steps forward pending any way they can but for the next crew."
Sincery Blogger News Poster
SRC: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_technology/~3/yQhxU27O4AM/index.html
powered by Blogger Image Poster
0 Comments