A new exercise technology

The idea for impulse training (IT) came from a personal relationship in 1980 with Bill McLeod, PhD, past director of biomechanics at the Hughston Clinic, Columbus, Ga; and Ron Peyton, PT, founder, Peyton Institute, Atlanta. McLeod believed that most motion was gravity free and that it was about the control of inertia. At the time, no exercise technology existed that focused on training with inertia as the exclusive resistive medium. For fun, we tossed the idea around until the summer of 1982, when I got the urge to build a machine that fit our intellectual model.

Figure 1. The Impulse Training machine by Impulse Training Systems.

The machine consisted of a sled that rolled on a horizontal pipe with precision roller bearings for low friction. It was propelled by pulling a rope through a series of pulleys, creating acceleration. Acceleration of the sled created kinetic energy (inertia). Halfway down the pipe, pulleys reversed the flow of kinetic energy and the operator would immediately absorb it by decelerating the sled. This allowed high acceleration/deceleration reciprocal actions to occur in short arch ranges. We called this "inertial exercise" because we were manipulating inertia.

It was after a year of experimentation that the company Impulse Training Systems was born. We began clinical usage at the Hughston Clinic in the summer of 1983. During the next year, several techniques of clinical application were developed. Necessary design changes became apparent. In January 1985, the first Impulse Trainer that was designed specifically for physical therapy entered service at the Hughston Clinic.

DEVELOPING A KNOWLEDGE BASE FROM EXPERIENCE

I named the technology impulse training because it focused on developing the neural system’s capacity to generate impulses. IT was immediately recognized as an excellent tool for shoulder mobilization and strengthening in therapy.

From the beginning, our approach toward educating clinicians (with in-services) emphasized a neurological approach to rehabilitation. In March 1989, Pam Buttram, DPT, of Gwinnett Rehabilitation Services of Atlanta, had a head-injury patient who was not responding to treatment. The patient suffered partial paralysis; and decreased muscle strength, work capacity, and endurance—all typical of a neurological injury. She designed a program around IT, focusing on upper- and lower-extremity motor control, based on core stabilization and balance. After executing the rehab program, the patient immediately responded to treatment. Functional muscle control, strength, and endurance progressed. In May, the patient’s neurosurgeon prescribed IT for home use with third-party reimbursement. Words cannot express my joy in seeing this man regain the productive use and control of his body and his quality of life.

The technology began to emerge as an effective training modality for controlled acceleration and deceleration using the entire kinetic chain. It proved effective in therapy and high-performance sports. No other training tool safely allows joints to operate in training at more than 600° per second. In high-performance sports, rotational velocities of 2,000º to 4,000º were reported as commonplace. Interestingly, no instances of injuries while training at these high velocities with IT have ever been reported during all these years of use.

A landmark study on impulse training by Mark Albert, MEd, PT, ATC, focused on speed of movement and strength gains in the forearm flexors and upper-arm biceps. He documented higher rotational velocities and superior strength gains when compared to elastic tubing, free weights, and isokinetics. In 1995, researchers at Georgia State University, Atlanta, tested this neuromuscular aspect of training by duplicating Albert’s original study, adding electromyography (EMG) to the equations. The results were the same as Albert’s with the additional EMG data. New data indicated significantly greater EMG signals than elastic tubing, free weights, or isokinetics. The data demonstrated an important aspect of IT critical to therapy. Superior EMG demonstrated superior cocontraction of muscle synergy.

OVERALL ADVANTAGES

IT is about developing coordination, along with mobile joint and core stabilization. It is effective in pain and edema management, as well as increasing range of motion. IT, as a technology, can enhance the therapy process and its results. It is used in treating and developing all manner of motion, whether upper, core, or lower extremities.

Steve Davison is the developer of impulse training. He can be reached at or (800) 964-2362.