Rice, Andrea J. | Search NASA

NASA NTRS2006

Foot Forces during Treadmill Exercise on the International Space Station

Exercise has been the primary countermeasure to combat musculoskeletal changes during the approximately 6 month missions to the International Space Station (ISS). However, these countermeasures have not been successful in preventing loss of bone mineral density in the spine and hip of astronauts. We examined lower extremity loading during typical bouts of on-orbit exercise performed by 4 ISS crew members on the ISS treadmill (TVIS) and during locomotor activities on earth (1g). In-shoe forces were monitored at 128Hz using force-measuring insoles placed inside the shoes of the exercising crewmember, stored temporarily on Flash cards, and down-linked via satellite for analysis. Custom software extracted peak forces from up to 30 minutes of locomotor activity. All on-orbit loading conditions for walking and running resulted in peak forces and impact loading rates that were significantly less than those measured in 1g. Typical single leg loads on-orbit in walking and running were 0.860 plus or minus 0.04 body weights (BW) and 1.339 plus or minus 0.07 BW compared to 1.2 plus or minus 0.036 BW and 2.36 plus or minus 0.07 BW in 1g BW respectively. These results indicate that typical exercise on the ISS treadmill does not generate 1g-like loading conditions. This may be partly responsible for the loss of bone mineral density that has been observed in these and other crew members. Since on-orbit treadmill exercise requires a restraining load to return the crew member to the treadmill surface, more studies are required to enable comfortable full body weight loading to be applied.

Cavanagh, Peter R.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Exercise and pharmacological countermeasures for bone loss during long-duration space flight

Bone loss in the lower extremities and lumbar spine is an established consequence of long-duration human space flight. Astronauts typically lose as much bone mass in the proximal femur in 1 month as postmenopausal women on Earth lose in 1 year. Pharmacological interventions have not been routinely used in space, and countermeasure programs have depended solely upon exercise. However, it is clear that the osteogenic stimulus from exercise has been inadequate to maintain bone mass, due to insufficient load or duration. Attention has therefore been focused on several pharmacological interventions that have been successful in preventing or attenuating osteoporosis on Earth. Anti-resorptives are the class of drugs most commonly used to treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, notably alendronate sodium, risedronate sodium, zoledronic acid, and selective estrogen receptor modulators, such as raloxifene. There has also been considerable recent interest in anabolic agents such as parathyroid hormone (PTH) and teriparatide (rhPTH [1-34]). Vitamin D and calcium supplementation have also been used. Recent studies of kindreds with abnormally high bone mineral density have provided insight into the genetic regulation of bone mass. This has led to potential therapeutic interventions based on the LRP5, Wnt and BMP2 pathways. Another target is the RANK-L/osteoprotegerin signaling pathway, which influences bone turnover by regulating osteoclast formation and maturation. Trials using such therapies in space are being planned. Among the factors to be considered are dose-response relationships, bone quality, post-use recovery, and combination therapies--all of which may have unique characteristics when the drugs are used in space.

NASA Discipline Musculoskeletal↗