Intermuscular Interaction between Synergists in Rat Originates from both Intermuscular and Extramuscular Myofascial Force Transmission

2005 ◽  
Vol 181 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huub Maas ◽  
Hanneke J.M. Meijer ◽  
Peter A. Huijing
Keyword(s):  
Force Transmission ◽  
Myofascial Force Transmission

scholarly journals Fascial or Muscle Stretching? A Narrative Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 307
Author(s):  
Carla Stecco ◽  
Carmelo Pirri ◽  
Caterina Fede ◽  
Can A. Yucesoy ◽  
Raffaele De Caro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Muscular Contraction ◽  
Deep Fascia ◽  
Static Stretching ◽  
Force Transmission ◽  
Myofascial Force Transmission ◽  
Biomechanical Behavior ◽  
Passive Stretching ◽  
Muscle Stretching ◽  
Major Target ◽  
Stretching Exercises

Stretching exercises are integral part of the rehabilitation and sport. Despite this, the mechanism behind its proposed effect remains ambiguous. It is assumed that flexibility increases, e.g., action on muscle and tendon, respectively, but this is not always present in the stretching protocol of the exercises used. Recently, the fasciae have increased popularity and seems that they can have a role to define the flexibility and the perception of the limitation of the maximal range of motion (ROM). Deep fascia is also considered a key element to transmit load in parallel bypassing the joints, transmitting around 30% of the force generated during a muscular contraction. So, it seems impossible dividing the action of the muscles from the fasciae, but they have to be considered as a “myofascial unit”. The purpose of this manuscript is to evaluate the mechanical behavior of muscles, tendons, and fasciae to better understand how they can interact during passive stretching. Stress-strain values of muscle, tendon and fascia demonstrate that during passive stretching, the fascia is the first tissue that limit the elongation, suggesting that fascial tissue is probably the major target of static stretching. A better understanding of myofascial force transmission, and the study of the biomechanical behavior of fasciae, with also the thixotropic effect, can help to design a correct plan of stretching.

INTRA-, EXTRA- AND INTERMUSCULAR MYOFASCIAL FORCE TRANSMISION OF SYNERGISTS AND ANTAGONISTS: EFFECTS OF MUSCLE LENGTH AS WELL AS RELATIVE POSITION

2002 ◽  
Vol 02 (03n04) ◽  
pp. 405-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETER A. HUIJING
Keyword(s):  
Connective Tissue ◽  
Relative Position ◽  
Muscle Length ◽  
Force Transmission ◽  
Muscle Belly ◽  
Myofascial Force Transmission ◽  
Antagonist Muscles ◽  
Length Changes ◽  
Edl Muscle

The concepts of intramuscular myofascial force transmission is reintroduced and reviewed on the basis of experiments involving tenotomy and aponeurotomy of dissected rat EDL muscle studied in situ. Results from experiments with measurements of force of EDL muscle, of which the muscle belly was not dissected (i.e. the muscle is surrounded by its natural connective tissue milieu) are discussed. In such experiments, force was measured at proximal as well as distal EDL tendons. Examples of experimental evidence for both extramuscular and intermuscular myofascial force transmission within the rat anterior crural compartment are presented. Evidence is presented also for differential effects of proximal and distal lengthening on myofascial force transmission from EDL, even for the case in which symmetric length changes were imposed on the muscle. It is shown that myofascial force transmission effects are not limited to synergists located within one compartment, but do also play a very substantial role in the interaction between antagonist muscles in neighbouring anterior crural and peroneal compartments.

scholarly journals Significance of epimuscular myofascial force transmission under passive muscle conditions

2019 ◽  
Vol 126 (5) ◽  
pp. 1465-1473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huub Maas
Keyword(s):  
Connective Tissue ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Imaging Techniques ◽  
Neuromuscular Control ◽  
Shear Wave Elastography ◽  
Joint Mechanics ◽  
Force Transmission ◽  
Myofascial Force Transmission ◽  
Tissue Structures ◽  
Passive Muscle

In the past 20 yr, force transmission via connective tissue linkages at the muscle belly surface, called epimuscular myofascial force transmission, has been studied extensively. In this article, the effects of epimuscular linkages under passive muscle conditions are reviewed. Several animal studies that included direct (invasive) measurements of force transmission have shown that different connective tissue structures serve as an epimuscular pathway and that these tissues have sufficient stiffness, especially at supraphysiological muscle lengths and relative positions, to transmit substantial passive forces (up to 15% of active optimal force). Exact values of lumped tissue stiffness for different connective tissue structures have not yet been estimated. Experiments using various imaging techniques (ultrasound, MRI, shear wave elastography) have yielded some, but weak, evidence of epimuscular myofascial force transmission for passive muscles in humans. At this point, the functional consequences of epimuscular pathways for muscle and joint mechanics in the intact body are still unknown. Potentially, however, these pathways may affect sensory feedback and, thereby, neuromuscular control. In addition, altered epimuscular force transmission in pathological conditions may also contribute to changes in passive range of joint motion.

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