Influence of muscle temperature on the contractile properties of the quadriceps muscle in humans with spinal cord injury

Gerrits, H.L.; Haan, A. de; Hopman, Maria T. E.; Woude, Lucas H V van der; Sargeant, A. J.

doi:10.1042/cs0980031

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…This study confirms the results of previous research, demonstrating that the paralyzed muscles of SCI individuals adapt to reduced neuromuscular activity. SCI muscles showed a faster speed of contraction and greater susceptibility to fatigue than normal muscles, which coincides with previous work on paralyzed quadriceps11, 12 and tibialis anterior muscles 36, 41…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Effects of training on contractile properties of paralyzed quadriceps muscle

et al. 2002

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Effects of two different training regimens on the contractile properties of the quadriceps muscle were studied in six individuals with spinal cord injury. Each subject had both limbs trained with the two regimens, consisting of stimulation with low frequencies (LF) at 10 HZ or high frequencies (HF) at 50 HZ; one limb of each subject was stimulated with the LF protocol and the other with the HF regimen. Twelve weeks of daily training increased tetanic tension by ∼20%, which was not significantly different between training regimens. Interestingly, after HF but not LF training, the unusual high forces at the low frequency range of the force-frequency relationship decreased, possibly due to a reduced activation per impulse. After LF but not HF training, force oscillation amplitudes declined (by 33%) as relaxation tended to slow, which may have opposed possible effects of reduced activation as seen after HF training. Finally, fatigue resistance also increased rapidly after LF training (by 43%) but not after HF training. These results indicate that different types of training may selectively change different aspects of function in disused muscles. Skeletal muscles have the capacity to adapt to altered functional requirements. When muscle activity is reduced, for instance as a result of immobilization 3 or paralysis after spinal cord injury (SCI), 43 muscle mass decreases, leading to a loss of strength. Reduced neuromuscular activity leads not only to a reduction in the total amount of contractile protein but also to changes in the phenotypic properties of the muscle fibers. In general, decreased neuromuscular activity leads to a transition of slow to fast fiber characteristics, with concomitant adaptations of metabolic properties and the peripheral circulation. 30,39 SCI is an example of almost complete loss of neuromuscular activity, leading to muscle atrophy, 6,8,23,37,43 muscle fiber transformation from oxidative type I to glycolytic type II fibers, 5,37 reduction in oxidative metabolism, 24,35 and limited blood flow. 18,27,42 In the past, various programs of electrical stimulation have been used to recondition the paralyzed muscles of individuals with SCI. 16,17,26,28,33,34 A variety of stimulation regimens have been used, most with relatively short contractions (∼1-5 s) elicited at various frequencies (∼20-60 HZ) with duty cycles ranging from ∼1/1 to ∼1/3. However, comparisons as to how paralyzed muscles respond to different types of training regimens are limited. Furthermore, the effects of training are usually assessed in relation to muscle strength, mass, or fatigue resistance, whereas other contractile properties, such as speed or the force-frequency relationship, have rarely been reported for SCI muscle.The purpose of the present investigation was to compare the effects of training with two patterns of electrical stimulation (repetitive high-frequency stimulation and more continuous low-frequency Abbreviations: FOA, force oscillation amplitude; HF, high frequency; LF, low frequency; MFR, maximal ra...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Effects of training on contractile properties of paralyzed quadriceps muscle

et al. 2002

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“…This is somewhat surprising in that both the knee extensor and plantar flexor muscle groups have been characterized by faster contractile speeds following SCI. 36,37 These findings have been used to support the idea of a fiber type transformation following SCI (slow-fast). However, whether a fiber type transition occurs after incomplete-SCI and the timeline for any potential shift are yet unclear.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Lower extremity skeletal muscle function in persons with incomplete spinal cord injury

et al. 2005

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Study design: A cross-sectional study design. Objectives: To characterize and specifically quantify impairments in muscle function after chronic incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). Setting: University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. Methods: Voluntary and electrically elicited contractile measurements were performed and voluntary activation deficits were quantitatively determined in the knee extensor and ankle plantar flexor muscle groups in 10 individuals with chronic incomplete SCI (C5-T8, ASIA C or D) and age-, gender-, height-and body weight matched healthy controls. Results: Persons with incomplete-SCI were able to produce only 36 and 24% of the knee extensor torque and 38 and 26% of the plantar flexor torque generated by noninjured controls in the self-reported less-involved and more-involved limbs, respectively (Po0.05). In addition, both indices of explosive or instantaneous muscle strength, torque 200 (absolute torque reached at 200 ms) and the average rate of torque development (ARTD) were dramatically reduced in the ankle plantar flexor and knee extensor muscle groups in persons with incomplete-SCI. However, the deficit in instantaneous muscle strength was most pronounced in the ankle plantar flexor muscles, with an 11.7-fold difference between the torque 200 measured in the self-reported more involved limb and a 5-fold difference in the less-involved limb compared to control muscles. Voluntary activation deficits ranged between 42 and 66% in both muscle groups. Interestingly, electrically elicited contractile properties did not differ between the groups. Conclusion: The resultant impact of incomplete-SCI is that affected muscles not only become weak, but slow to develop voluntary torque. We speculate that the large deficit in torque 200 and ARTD in the ankle plantar flexors muscles of persons with incomplete-SCI may limit locomotor function. The results presented in this study provide a quantitative and sensitive assessment of muscle function upon which future research examining rehabilitation programs aimed at restoring muscle function and promoting functional recovery after incomplete-SCI may be based.

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“…An additional advantage of this muscle is that its temperature is easily controlled. This is important because disuse may lead to a decrease in baseline muscle temperature 12 and even a small reduction in muscle temperature will decrease muscle speed 9,12 and may reduce fatigability. 9 It was hypothesized that in patients with MS there would be a loss of adductor pollicis muscle force, an increase of contractile speed, and a reduction of the resistance to fatigue.…”

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confidence: 99%

Contractile speed and fatigue of adductor pollicis muscle in multiple sclerosis

et al. 2001

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The purpose of the study was to investigate differences in contractile speed, force, and fatigability of the adductor pollicis muscle between 12 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 8 sedentary control subjects matched for age and gender. There were no differences between the patients with MS and control subjects with respect to the percentage of maximal muscle force that could be recruited during voluntary effort (95.5 ± 3.9% and 98.2 ± 2.0%, respectively, P = 0.10), the stimulation frequency/ force and force/velocity relationships, the rates of force development and relaxation, fatigue resistance, and the recovery rate of adductor pollicis muscle. However, previous results from the same group of MS patients showed that quadriceps femoris muscle force and resistance to fatigue were reduced. Therefore, our data support the clinical experience that, in patients with MS, lower limb muscle function is more or earlier affected than upper limb muscle function.

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Influence of muscle temperature on the contractile properties of the quadriceps muscle in humans with spinal cord injury

Cited by 8 publications

References 35 publications

Effects of training on contractile properties of paralyzed quadriceps muscle

Effects of training on contractile properties of paralyzed quadriceps muscle

Lower extremity skeletal muscle function in persons with incomplete spinal cord injury

Contractile speed and fatigue of adductor pollicis muscle in multiple sclerosis

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