Evaluation of musculotendinous stiffness in prepubertal children and adults, taking into account muscle activity

2003 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Lambertz ◽  
Isabelle Mora ◽  
Jean-Francois Grosset ◽  
Chantal Pérot
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Tibialis Anterior ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Muscle Group ◽  
Triceps Surae ◽  
Stiffness Index ◽  
Prepubertal Children ◽  
Surface Electromyograms ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Musculotendinous Stiffness

Musculotendinous (MT) stiffness of the triceps surae (TS) muscle group was quantified in 28 prepubertal children (7–10 yr) by using quick-release movements at different levels of submaximal contractions. Surface electromyograms (EMG) of each part of the TS and of the tibialis anterior were also recorded. A stiffness index, defined as the slope of the angular stiffness-torque relationship (SIMT-Torque), was used to quantify changes in MT stiffness with age. Results showed a significant decrease in SIMT-Torque with age, ranging from 4.02 ± 0.29 to 2.88 ± 0.31 rad-1 for the youngest to the oldest children. Because an increase in stiffness with age was expected due to the maturation of elastic tissues, overactivation of the TS was suspected to contribute to the higher SIMT-Torque values found in the youngest children. TS EMG-torque analyses confirmed that neuromuscular efficiency was significantly lower for the 7- or 8-yr-old children compared with 10-yr-old children, notably due to a higher degree of tibialis anterior coactivation found in the youngest children. Thus the stiffness index originally defined as the slope of the angular stiffness-EMG relationship increased significantly with age toward adult values. The results underlined the necessity to take into account the capacities of muscle activation to quantify changes in elastic properties of muscles, when those capacities are suspected to be altered.

scholarly journals A systematic review of the effect of footwear, foot orthoses and taping on lower limb muscle activity during walking and running

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 576-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Reeves ◽  
Richard Jones ◽  
Anmin Liu ◽  
Leah Bent ◽  
Emma Plater ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Limb ◽  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Frontal Plane ◽  
Triceps Surae ◽  
Tibialis Posterior ◽  
Foot Orthoses ◽  
Lower Limb Muscle ◽  
Limb Muscle ◽  
Therapeutic Benefits

Background: External devices are used to manage musculoskeletal pathologies by altering loading of the foot, which could result in altered muscle activity that could have therapeutic benefits. Objectives: To establish if evidence exists that footwear, foot orthoses and taping alter lower limb muscle activity during walking and running. Study design: Systematic literature review. Methods: CINAHL, MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, SPORTDiscus and Web of Science databases were searched. Quality assessment was performed using guidelines for assessing healthcare interventions and electromyography methodology. Results: Thirty-one studies were included: 22 related to footwear, eight foot orthoses and one taping. In walking, (1) rocker footwear apparently decreases tibialis anterior activity and increases triceps surae activity, (2) orthoses could decrease activity of tibialis posterior and increase activity of peroneus longus and (3) other footwear and taping effects are unclear. Conclusion: Modifications in shoe or orthosis design in the sagittal or frontal plane can alter activation in walking of muscles acting primarily in these planes. Adequately powered research with kinematic and kinetic data is needed to explain the presence/absence of changes in muscle activation with external devices. Clinical relevance This review provides some evidence that foot orthoses can reduce tibialis posterior activity, potentially benefitting specific musculoskeletal pathologies.

Influence of muscle activity on musculotendinous stiffness quantification in stunted, prepubertal children

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 1052-1056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Lambertz ◽  
Chantal Pérot ◽  
Francis Canon ◽  
Mariana L.M. Dantas ◽  
Raul Manhães-de-Castro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Prepubertal Children ◽  
Musculotendinous Stiffness

Neural Compensation Within the Human Triceps Surae During Prolonged Walking

2011 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 548-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil J. Cronin ◽  
Jussi Peltonen ◽  
Thomas Sinkjaer ◽  
Janne Avela
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Triceps Surae ◽  
Medial Gastrocnemius ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Fascicle Length ◽  
Muscle Fascicle ◽  
Compound Action Potentials ◽  
Triceps Surae Muscles ◽  
Short Time

During human walking, muscle activation strategies are approximately constant across consecutive steps over a short time, but it is unknown whether they are maintained over a longer duration. Prolonged walking may increase tendinous tissue (TT) compliance, which can influence neural activation, but the neural responses of individual muscles have not been investigated. This study investigated the hypothesis that muscle activity is up- or down-regulated in individual triceps surae muscles during prolonged walking. Thirteen healthy subjects walked on a treadmill for 60 min at 4.5 km/h, while triceps surae muscle activity, maximal muscle compound action potentials, and kinematics were recorded every 5 min, and fascicle lengths were estimated at the beginning and end of the protocol using ultrasound. After 1 h of walking, soleus activity increased by 9.3 ± 0.2% ( P < 0.05) and medial gastrocnemius activity decreased by 9.3 ± 0.3% ( P < 0.01). Gastrocnemius fascicle length at ground contact shortened by 4.45 ± 0.99% ( P < 0.001), whereas soleus fascicle length was unchanged ( P = 0.988). Throughout the stance phase, medial gastrocnemius fascicle lengthening decreased by 44 ± 13% ( P < 0.001), whereas soleus fascicle lengthening amplitude was unchanged ( P = 0.650). The data suggest that a compensatory neural strategy exists between triceps surae muscles and that changes in muscle activation are generally mirrored by changes in muscle fascicle length. These findings also support the notion of muscle-specific changes in TT compliance after prolonged walking and highlight the ability of the CNS to maintain relatively constant movement patterns in spite of neuromechanical changes in individual muscles.

Performance of noncountermovement jump with both knee and hip joints fully extended

1989 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 1976-1983 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Yamazaki ◽  
M. Suzuki ◽  
T. Mano
Keyword(s):  
Angular Velocity ◽  
Plantar Flexion ◽  
Triceps Surae ◽  
Countermovement Jump ◽  
Hip Joints ◽  
Triceps Surae Muscle ◽  
Ankle Angle ◽  
Surface Electromyograms ◽  
Vertical Jumps ◽  
Different Levels

The relationships between neuromuscular performance and biomechanical variables were studied in maximum vertical jumps to examine the factors influencing the performance of a noncountermovement jump. Keeping their knee and hip joint fully extended, five healthy subjects performed four kinds of noncountermovement jumps and one countermovement jump, during which ankle joint angle, platform force, and surface electromyograms of a triceps surae muscle were recorded. In the four noncountermovement jumps, the magnitude of activation and force at the onset of a shortening contraction of the triceps surae muscle were controlled at four different levels. Performance parameters of the noncountermovement jumps, maximum angular velocity of the ankle angle and flight time, correlated with the platform force at the onset of the plantar flexion. Furthermore the integrated electromyograms of the triceps surae muscle before the plantar flexion were correlated with the maximum angular velocity of the ankle angle and the force at the plantar flexion onset. The findings suggest that the efficient utilization of the muscle characteristic contributes to an enhancement of the noncountermovement jump.

Neuromuscular Activation During Short-Track Speed Skating in Young Athletes

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 848-854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Felser ◽  
Martin Behrens ◽  
Susanne Fischer ◽  
Mario Baeumler ◽  
Ralf Salomon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Tibialis Anterior ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Time Trial ◽  
Rectus Femoris ◽  
Young Athletes ◽  
Neuromuscular Activation ◽  
Leg Muscles ◽  
Maximum Effort ◽  
The Right

Purpose:To investigate differences in muscle activation of both legs between the straight and the curve and changes in muscle activity during a 1000-m time trial (TT) and their relationship to the change in skating velocity in 9 young short-track speed skaters. The authors recorded skating times and EMG data from different leg muscles during maximum-effort skating trials on the straight and in the curve, as well as during a 1000-m TT.Results:Muscle activation differs between the straight and the curves and between legs; ie, average activities of selected muscles of the right leg were significantly higher during skating through the curves than in the straights. This could not be observed for the left leg. The reduction in speed during the 1000-m TT highly correlates with the decrease in the muscle activity of both the tibialis anterior and the rectus femoris of the right leg. Muscle recruitment is different in relation to lap section (straight vs curve) and leg (right vs left leg). The decreased muscle activity of the tibialis anterior and rectus femoris of the right leg showed the highest relationships with the reduction in skating speed during the 1000-m TT.

scholarly journals Muscles Affecting Minimum Toe Clearance

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chamalka Kenneth Perera ◽  
Alpha Agape Gopalai ◽  
Siti Anom Ahmad ◽  
Darwin Gouwanda
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Tibialis Anterior ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Joint Angles ◽  
Kinematic Parameters ◽  
Joint Range Of Motion ◽  
Optical Motion ◽  
Optical Motion Capture ◽  
Joint Range ◽  
Gastrocnemius Lateralis

The aim of this study was to investigate how the anterior and posterior muscles in the shank (Tibialis Anterior, Gastrocnemius Lateralis and Medialis), influence the level of minimum toe clearance (MTC). With aging, MTC deteriorates thus, greatly increasing the probability of falling or tripping. This could result in injury or even death. For this study, muscle activity retention taping (MART) was used on young adults, which is an accepted method of simulating a poor MTC—found in elderly gait. The subject's muscle activation was measured using surface electromyography (SEMG), and the kinematic parameters (MTC, knee and ankle joint angles) were measured using an optical motion capture system. Our results indicate that MART produces significant reductions in MTC (P &lt; α), knee flexion (P &lt; α) and ankle dorsiflexion (P &lt; α), as expected. However, the muscle activity increased significantly, contrary to the expected result (elderly individuals should have lower muscle activity). This was due to the subject's muscle conditions (healthy and strong), hence the muscles worked harder to counteract the external restriction. Yet, the significant change in muscle activity (due to MART) proves that the shank muscles do play an important role in determining the level of MTC. The Tibialis Anterior had the highest overall muscle activation, making it the primary muscle active during the swing phase. With aging, the shank muscles (specifically the Tibialis Anterior) would weaken and stiffen, coupled with a reduced joint range of motion. Thus, ankle-drop would increase—leading to a reduction in MTC.

scholarly journals Ankle Mechanical Impedance Under Muscle Fatigue

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuo Wang ◽  
Hyunglae Lee ◽  
Neville Hogan
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Fatigue ◽  
Tibialis Anterior ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Mechanical Impedance ◽  
Muscle Group ◽  
Triceps Surae ◽  
Ankle Injuries ◽  
Two Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Triceps Surae Muscle

This paper reports preliminary results on the effects of ankle muscle fatigue on ankle mechanical impedance. The experiment was designed to induce fatigue in the Tibialis Anterior and Triceps Surae muscle group by asking subjects to perform isometric contractions against a constant ankle torque generated by the Anklebot, a backdriveable robot that interacts with the ankle in two degrees of freedom. Median frequencies of surface electromyographic signals collected from Tibialis Anterior and Triceps Surae muscle group were evaluated to assess muscle fatigue. Using a standard multi-input and multi-output stochastic impedance identification method, multivariable ankle mechanical impedance was measured in two degrees of freedom under muscle fatigue. Preliminary results indicate that, for both Tibialis Anterior and Triceps Surae muscle group, ankle mechanical impedance decreases in both the dorsi-plantarflexion and inversion-eversion directions under muscle fatigue. This finding suggests that decreasing ankle impedance with muscle fatigue may help to develop joint support systems to prevent ankle injuries caused by muscle fatigue.

scholarly journals Patterns of muscle activation and modulation of ankle intrinsic stiffness in different postural operating conditions

2020 ◽  
Vol 123 (2) ◽  
pp. 743-754
Author(s):  
Pouya Amiri ◽  
Robert E. Kearney
Keyword(s):  
Postural Control ◽  
Tibialis Anterior ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Progressive Increase ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Triceps Surae ◽  
Dynamic Relationship ◽  
Correct Understanding ◽  
Intrinsic Stiffness

Intrinsic stiffness describes the dynamic relationship between imposed angular perturbations to a joint and the resulting torque response, due to intrinsic mechanical properties of muscles and joint, and inertia of the limbs. Recently, we showed that ankle intrinsic stiffness changes substantially with sway in normal standing. In the present study, we documented how ankle intrinsic stiffness changes with postural operating conditions. Subjects stood on an apparatus while subjected to ankle position perturbations in five conditions: normal standing, toe-up and toe-down standing, and backward and forward lean. In each condition, ankle intrinsic stiffness was estimated while its modulation with sway was accounted for. The results demonstrated that ankle intrinsic stiffness varies widely, from 0.08 to 0.75 of critical stiffness, across postural operating conditions; however, it is always smaller than the critical stiffness. Therefore, other contributions are necessary to ensure stable standing. The mean intrinsic stiffness was highest in forward lean and lowest in backward lean. Moreover, within each operating condition, the intrinsic stiffness changed with center-of-pressure position in one of three ways, each associated with a distinct muscle activation pattern; these include 1) monotonically increasing stiffness-center of pressure relation, associated with a progressive increase in triceps surae activation, 2) decreasing-increasing stiffness-center of pressure relation, associated with initial activation of tibialis anterior and later activation of triceps surae, and 3) monotonically decreasing stiffness-center of pressure relation, associated with decreasing activation of tibialis anterior. Thus intrinsic stiffness varies greatly within and across postural operating conditions, and a correct understanding of postural control requires accounting for such variations. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Ankle intrinsic stiffness changes with sway in normal standing. We quantified such changes in different postural operating conditions and demonstrated that the intrinsic stiffness changes in a manner associated with different activation patterns of ankle plantarflexors and dorsiflexors, emerging in different operating conditions. Large modulations of the intrinsic stiffness within and across postural operating conditions show that the stiffness importance and contribution change and must be accounted for in the study of postural control.

A Neuromuscular and Metabolic Comparison between Forward and Reverse Pedaling

1998 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eadric Bressel ◽  
Gary D. Heise ◽  
Greg Bachman
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Tibialis Anterior ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Knee Extensor ◽  
Rectus Femoris ◽  
Biceps Femoris ◽  
Half Cycle ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Crank Angle

The purpose of this study was to determine how muscle activity and oxygen consumption are influenced by reverse pedaling (RP) compared to forward pedaling (FP). Seventeen physically active males performed FP and RP at an external workrate of 157 W (80 rpm) while EMG data were collected from five muscles: rectus femoris (RF), biceps femoris (BF), gastrocnemius (GN), tibialis anterior (TA), and vastus medialis (VM). Oxygen consumption (V̇O2 L·min-1) data were collected. On-time durations and EMG amplitudes were quantified for each half-cycle (first 180° and second 180° of crank angle). V̇O2 was similar between pedaling conditions while muscles RF and BF exhibited phasic shifts in response to RP with no amplitude change. VM showed an increase and GN displayed a decrease in EMG amplitude from FP to RP. The phasic shifts in muscle activation seen in RP, particularly in RF and BF, may alter the sequence of the knee extensor–hip extensor joint moments during the first half-cycle of pedaling.

Noise Reduction in Swallowing Muscle Activity Measurement Based on Mixture Gaussian Distribution Model

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuyuki Ohmori ◽  
◽  
Chihiro Murasawa ◽  
Jumpei Aizawa ◽  
Hideya Momose ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Measurement Method ◽  
Muscle Group ◽  
Distribution Model ◽  
Activity Measurement ◽  
Specialized Knowledge ◽  
Activity Measurements ◽  
Measurement Results ◽  
Surface Electromyograms ◽  
Gaussian Distribution Model

For the noninvasive measurement of swallowing muscle activity, surface electromyograms and swallowing sounds are used. The electromyogram electrodes can be placed appropriately only by experts with specialized knowledge about the location of the swallowing muscle group. Therefore, these sensors have not been used for measurements in food development, for which there were no experts. In order to develop a simple swallowing muscle measurement method for food development, we proposed a sensor sheet consisting of multiple electromyogram electrodes and observed that different swallowing muscle activities could be measured depending on the type of food. In this work, we study a calculation method for the elimination of noise, which is inevitable in electromyograms, from the sensor sheet measurement results and prove that the method improves the performance of the swallowing muscle activity measurements.

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