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BIMAL Report
The main feature of the Lat Pulldown machine is the moveable seat which facilitates the use of the machine for wheelchair users.
The wide angled bar allows the user to adopt a grip which reduces the influence of the elbow flexors during the lat pulldown exercise, thus isolating more effectively the latissimus dorsi and shoulder retractors.
The machine can also be adapted to exercise the abdominal musculature without involving the hip flexors, and may be suitable for certain back conditions.
The exercises may require some modifying of positions with certain shoulder conditions, especially those with rotator cuff, long head of biceps tendentious and sub acromial compression syndromes. The most effective manner for relieving the compression is by adopting the reclined position with the weights stack jacked up to limit the range of flexion and elevation.
The upright posture places a greater emphasis upon the pectoralis major muscle than does the reclined position. The recruitment pattern for the upright exercise involves the biceps, pectoralis major, dorsi and rhomboids at the onset of the movement and then as elbow flexion reduces the dorsi and rhomboids assume a greater responsibility.
In the reclined position, the pectoralis major is redundant and the dorsi and biceps produce the greater activity.
The standing lat pulldown places a degree of loading through the long head of triceps and sternal fibres of pectoralis major initially and then progressively greater activity through the dorsi towards the terminal aspect of the movement.
The machine can be adapted to work the triceps group throughout various ranges and shoulder joint positions and the alternative accessories available from Pulse enable additional shoulder patterns to be performed.
The machine is effective for the following conditions:
• Paraplegics
• Shoulder girdle conditions
• Brachial plexus late stage rehabilitation
• Lumbar spine lesions
• Postural re-education
• Thoracic spine hyper-mobility lesions
• Respiratory conditions
• Elbow lesions
• Shoulder joint surgical reconstruction rehabilitation
• Lumbar spine muscle imbalance rehabilitation regime

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