The expert who treated US military pilots explains the impact of the 'gravity blow'
Milan, 11 June (AdnKronos Health)
Weak bones, fatigued muscles, a wobbling step, lungs and other 'squeezed' organs, shortness of breath. "The feeling is that of having just run a full marathon without ever having trained." But with one more setback: "The voice that comes out with difficulty and becomes more shrill, with a low hold on long phrases and a difficulty in producing certain sounds". Valentina Carlile, the osteopath of the stars who takes care of the uvula (and not only) of artists with millions of records sold and tours that touch 100 stages around the world, thus describes the effect of the 'blow of gravity 'that will hit astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti upon her landing on Earth after 200 days in orbit.
On the strength of a long international experience that has seen her 'get her hands' also on military pilots from the American bases in California and Texas, struggling with microgravity simulations that mimic staying among the stars, the young Milanese professional explains why - in the "at least 6 months of rehabilitation" that AstroSam will have to face to allow his body to come to terms with the newly found force of gravity - also "osteopathy can certainly be useful. It has been scientifically proven, precisely because of the ability of osteopathic treatment. to produce a biostimulation of the tissues and a fluidic and fascial rebalancing. Fundamental elements to help the organism as a whole to overcome the sudden transition to gravity ".
For Samantha and her travel companions, therefore, the return home will not be the end of an adventure but the beginning of "a long journey of re-education in managing one's weight". In space, you know, the feeling of having it does not exist: you float lightly together with all the objects that you let slip from your hands. And that "probably the astronauts in the first hours after their return will also risk losing".
"The bone and muscle impoverishment, not only at the skeletal level but also at the visceral level", which space explorers suffer upon re-entry is well known. Less well known are the effects that astronauts and pilots, especially military ones, experience at a vocal level. "The enormous and sudden change in the force of gravity also puts a strain on the larynx - highlights the expert - an organ 'suspended' by nature, with only a few fascial and muscular points that correlate it to the surrounding structures. With this physiology it is It is normal that the laryngeal compartment can suffer from the newfound gravity. The pilots I have been able to treat complained for example of voice drops and alterations ".
But why? "The voice of each of us - answers the osteopath - is characterized by a so-called fundamental frequency of its own, and by harmonic functions that give it particular nuances typical of each individual". Well, "some studies have verified that the increase in the fundamental vocal frequency is directly correlated to an increase in stress. In particular, research carried out on pilots and astronauts in difficult conditions show an increase in the fundamental frequency proportional to the amount of stress suffered" . The result is "a more tiring vocal emission and a more shrill tone. The vocal note rises, even in correspondence with the emotional tension".
Of course "these are transitory effects - Carlile points out - but on a physicist who must already restore all other functions, from pulmonary-cardiovascular to musculoskeletal, any targeted help contributes to making recovery faster and less tiring". In short, to really return to Earth, "the astronauts arriving will need half a year of work" in which they will also have to learn to eat and drink in a new way. "To rebalance the hydration of all tissues, including the vocal cords".
Fonte: https://www.adnkronos.com/losteopata-per-astrosam-che-rientra-effetto-maratona-e-voce-stridula_3O1Aumr7EidrXi8rf89xm7