Can Eccentric Exercise of The Lower Limb Be Made More Efficiently, A Pilot Study.

Abstract Background: Eccentric Exercise has been shown to be more effective in building muscle and healing damaged tissue than concentric or isometric exercise. It has also been shown to be effective in increasing motor control. But the duration of therapeutic exercise in physical therapy is limited by insurance to 30-60 minutes a day. Objectives: Four standard therapy eccentric exercises of the lower limbs were compared (toe raise, ball exercise, side lying eccentric exercise and incline board exercise) to a trainer called the BTE Eccentron to see if the efficiency of exercise could be increased using one exercise session to meet or beat the four individual exercises. Subjects and Methods: The study examined eight randomly selected participants with no known medical conditions (neurological or orthopedic) that would preclude their participation (age=24.1+/-2.1 years height=168.9+/-6.4 cm BMI=23.2+/-3.2). EMG was used to assess muscle recruitment in each exercise. The muscles studies were the gastrocnemius, hamstring, hip adductors, and quadriceps muscles. Results: Muscle use on the eccentron was almost double that of the other exercises. Thus, making therapy more efficient. One single exercise bout showed more muscle activation during eccentric exercise than the other four exercises, with an average muscle use almost 4 times higher on the eccentron. Conclusion: The Eccentron offers a considerable advantage for clinical treatment making exercise and neuromuscular training more efficient.