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Team Doctors Treatment and Training Centers
Article by Dr James Stoxen DC
American Fitness Quarterly - April 1991
The Biopedal
by
Dr James Stoxen, DC,
Federick K. Sheppard,
Ph.D, Harry F. Hlavac,
D.P.M., Gary Moran, Ph.D
Cycling as a sport has undergone a relative explosion in participation in the United States since the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Partly due to the success of the American Team, and with a growing number of athletes participating in triathlons and related sporting events, cycling, stationary indoor exercycles are included in virtually every health club and indoor training decreased total body fat by working the major muscle groups. It is a controlled, reproducible, balance in reciprocal motion for the lower extremities. It is well utilized as a method for warm-up and cool-down as part of a regular exercise routine. In addition, cycling has been proved to be beneficial for many forms of athletic injury to the knee and lower leg, as well as being an integral part in post-surgical rehabilitation in a variety of cases.
Cycling requires balanced muscular support for optimum function. When mechanical imbalances are present, abnormal strains and deforming forces are placed on the joints and skeletal structure. The biomechanical forces required for cycling have been studied, and a product has been developed to improve leg power. A tri plane adjustable platform devise, the Biopedal can be used on both road bikes as well as fitness and rehabilitation equipment. The Biopedal is currently being utilized by tow NFL teams on their exercise and fitness equipment to specifically strengthen and rehabilitate injuries of t he ankle and knee. Three members o the U.S. Cycling Team are also utilizing this biomechanically adjustable pedal to enhance power and performance and to maximize their athletic potential.
"Fitness" has many definitions in terms of muscle physiology, cardiovascular fitness, aerobic capacity, and the ability to perform aerobic or anaerobic work without breakdown. The "biomechemical" fitness of the lower extremity depends upon not only inherited, but also acquired factors. Any existing imbalances in the stability of joints in athletes may have contractures. Training methods should be based upon knowledge of individual body type, as well as knowledge of individual biomechanical imbalance.
The lower extremity from pelvis to foot involves four major areas; the low back, the hip/pelvis, the knee, and the foot/ankle. With proper biomechanical alignment, the proper stance and body position can be insured to prevent injury and maximize the performance potential of the athlete. Training regimes which begin with low resistance and high repetition to produce definition and cardiovascular fitness, followed by low repetition high resistance routines resist injury and assist in the rehabilitation of injuries.
Stationary cycling strengthening leg muscles without impact and balance power between the legs by establishing similar resistance on the opposing leg. Four different primary muscular actions occur when pedaling. The primary action of cycling depends upon the quadriceps group to extend the leg at the knee joint. The secondary vector of force is supplied by the gluteus and hamstring groups which extend the thigh at the hip joint. The third action involves stabilization and extension of the foot at the ankle joint, and depends upon integrity of the gastroenemius, and soleus muscles on the back of the calf. Finally, the stabilization of the lower leg is enhanced and the cycling motion complete through the action of the tibialis anterior and dorsiflexors of the muscles in the front of the lower leg.
When properly biomechanically balanced, cycling in a forward motion takes place without side to side motion, rocking of the hips, rotation or translational movement of the knees, and without undue rolling of the feet and ankles. Proper balance of the foot over the pedal mechanism is required in order to produce balance motion, and to insure optimum positioning. Due to structural differences in the human body, an imbalance in the pedaling position can have
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