Myofascial force transmission between antagonistic rat lower limb muscles: Effects of single muscle or muscle group lengthening.

H.J.M. Meijer, J.M. Rijkelijkhuizen, P.A.J.B.M. Huijing

    Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    Abstract

    Effects of lengthening of the whole group of anterior crural muscles (tibialis anterior and extensor hallucis longus muscles (TA + EHL) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL)) on myofascial interaction between synergistic EDL and TA + EHL muscles, and on myofascial force transmission between anterior crural and antagonistic peroneal muscles, were investigated. All muscles were either passive or maximally active. Peroneal muscles were kept at a constant muscle tendon complex length. Either EDL or all anterior crural muscles were lengthened so that effects of lengthening of TA + EHL could be analyzed. For both lengthening conditions, a significant difference in proximally and distally measured EDL passive and active forces, indicative of epimuscular myofascial force transmission, was present. However, added lengthening of TA + EHL significantly affected the magnitude of the active and passive load exerted on EDL. For the active condition, the direction of the epimuscular load on EDL was affected; at all muscle lengths a proximally directed load was exerted on EDL, which decreased at higher muscle lengths. Lengthening of anterior crural muscles caused a 26% decrease in peroneal active force. Extramuscular myofascial connections are thought to be the major contributor to the EDL proximo-distal active force difference. For antagonistic peroneal complex, the added distal lengthening of a synergistic muscle increases the effects of extramuscular myofascial force transmission. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)698-707
    JournalJournal of Electromyography and Kinesiology
    Volume17
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2007

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