Muscle fiber architecture in the human lower limb

Friederich, James A.; Brand, Richard A.

doi:10.1016/0021-9290(90)90373-b

Cited by 489 publications

(402 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…From a biomechanical perspective, this suggests these muscles are the key power producers of the lower extremity. Our data also contradict the commonly held belief that biarticular muscles have longer fibers compared with uniarticular muscles [8,30]. Several obvious examples are illustrated by comparing the rectus femoris with the remaining vasti and the biceps femoris long head with the biceps femoris short head.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 90%

“…(A) At the ankle, the muscles follow the classic tradeoff between PCSA and fiber length; large PCSA correlates with short fibers. Also at the ankle, plantarflexor and dorsiflexor fiber lengths are dramatically different from those of previous reports [8,30]. (B) At the knee, the quadriceps and hamstrings have opposite architectural trends.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 71%

“…Their data were presented almost 30 years ago as a pilot project by a medical student working in a muscle laboratory (verbal communication, V. R. Edgerton, PhD, 2008). The two functionally dominant architectural parameters, fiber length and PCSA, differed from published parameters [8,30] by 10% to 100%. The key differences in our data are the longer fiber lengths of the knee extensors, knee flexors, and ankle plantarflexors and shorter fiber lengths of the ankle dorsiflexors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…The two most extensively used data sets representing direct measurements of human lower extremity architecture consist of only five specimens of unknown size, gender, and age [8,30]. This small sample size precludes generating confidence intervals to obtain accurate predictions of muscle force or excursion and understanding issues of scaling effects or gender differences in muscle architecture.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Are Current Measurements of Lower Extremity Muscle Architecture Accurate?

Ward¹,

Eng²,

Smallwood³

et al. 2008

Clin Orthop Relat Res

576

657

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Skeletal muscle architecture is defined as the arrangement of fibers in a muscle and functionally defines performance capacity. Architectural values are used to model muscle-joint behavior and to make surgical decisions. The two most extensively used human lower extremity data sets consist of five total specimens of unknown size, gender, and age. Therefore, it is critically important to generate a high-fidelity human lower extremity muscle architecture data set. We disassembled 27 muscles from 21 human lower extremities to characterize muscle fiber length and physiologic cross-sectional area, which define the excursion and force-generating capacities of a muscle. Based on their architectural features, the soleus, gluteus medius, and vastus lateralis are the strongest muscles, whereas the sartorius, gracilis, and semitendinosus have the largest excursion. The plantarflexors, knee extensors, and hip adductors are the strongest muscle groups acting at each joint, whereas the hip adductors and hip extensors have the largest excursion. Contrary to previous assertions, two-joint muscles do not necessarily have longer fibers than single-joint muscles as seen by the similarity of knee flexor and extensor fiber lengths. These high-resolution data will facilitate the development of more accurate musculoskeletal models and challenge existing theories of muscle design; we believe they will aid in surgical decision making.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 71%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Are Current Measurements of Lower Extremity Muscle Architecture Accurate?

Ward¹,

Eng²,

Smallwood³

et al. 2008

Clin Orthop Relat Res

576

657

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This finding suggests that the tensor fasciae latae muscle adopts a compensatory function in patients with an impaired hip abduction due to a gluteal tendon tear. Due to a substantial variability in the size of the tensor fasciae muscle both in our data and in measurements in cadavers [13], and due to a moderate correlation of the cross-sectional area of the tensor fasciae latae muscle with the BMI, an isolated comparison of the area in patients with and without a tear did not prove helpful in assessing a possible hypertrophy of the muscle. When the cross-sectional area of the ipsilateral sartorius muscle was introduced as a size reference and a ratio was calculated between the area of the tensor fasciae latae muscle and the sartorius muscle, this ratio was statistically significantly larger in patients with a tear of the abductor tendons (median 2.25) than in patients without a tear (median 1.91).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

Abductor tendon tears are associated with hypertrophy of the tensor fasciae latae muscle

et al. 2012

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OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between hypertrophy of the tensor fasciae latae muscle and abductor tendon tears. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-five patients who underwent MRI of the abductor tendons of the hip were included in this retrospective study. A subgroup of 18 patients was examined bilaterally. The area of the tensor fasciae latae muscle and the area of the sartorius muscle (size reference) were quantified at the level of the femoral head, and a ratio was calculated. Two radiologists assessed the integrity of the gluteus medius and minimus tendon in consensus. Data were analyzed with a Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: Sixteen out of 35 patients (46 %) had a tear of the gluteus medius or minimus tendon. The ratio of the area of the tensor fasciae latae to the sartorius muscle was significantly higher (p = .028) in the group with an abductor tendon tear (median 2.25; Interquartile Range [IQR] = 1.97-3.21) compared to the group without any tears (median 1.91; IQR = 1.52-2.26). The bilateral subanalysis showed that in patients without a tear, the ratio of the two areas did not differ between each side (p = .966), with a median of 1.54 (primary side) and 1.76 (contralateral side). In patients with an abductor tendon tear the ratio was significantly higher (p = .031) on the side with a tear (median 2.81) compared to the contralateral healthy side (1.67). CONCLUSION: Patients with abductor tendon tears showed hypertrophy of the tensor fasciae latae muscle when compared to the contralateral healthy side and to patients without a tear. AbstractObjective. To evaluate the association between hypertrophy of the tensor fasciae latae muscle and abductor tendon tears. Materials and Methods.Thirty-five patients with MRI of the abductor tendons of the hip were included in this retrospective study. A subgroup of 18 patients was examined bilaterally. The area of the tensor fasciae latae muscle and the area of the sartorius muscle (size reference) were quantified at the level of the femoral head, and a ratio was calculated. Two radiologists assessed the integrity of the gluteus medius and minimus tendon in consensus. Data were analyzed with a Mann-Whitney U test.Results. Sixteen out of 35 patients (46%) had a tear of the gluteus medius or minimus tendon. The ratio of the area of the tensor fasciae latae to the sartorius muscle was significantly higher (p=.028) in the group with an abductor tendon tear (median 2.25;Interquartile Range [IQR]= 1.97-3.21) compared to the group without tear (median 1.91; IQR= 1.52-2.26). The bilateral subanalysis showed that in patients without a tear, the ratio of the two areas did not differ between each side (p=.966), with a median of 1.54 (primary side) and 1.76 (contralateral side). In patients with an abductor tendon tear the ratio was significantly higher (p=.031) on the side with a tear (median 2.81) compared to the contralateral healthy side (1.67). Conclusion.Patients with abductor tendon tears showed hypertrophy of the tensor fasciae latae muscle when compared to the ...

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Dimensions and moment arms of the hind- and forelimb muscles of common chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Thorpe

Crompton

Günther

et al. 1999

Am. J. Phys. Anthropol.

143

354

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This paper supplies quantitative data on the hind- and forelimb musculature of common chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and calculates maximum joint moments of force as a contribution to a better understanding of the differences between chimpanzee and human locomotion. We dissected three chimpanzees, and recorded muscle mass, fascicle length, and physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA). We also obtained flexion/extension moment arms of the major muscles about the limb joints. We find that in the hindlimb, chimpanzees possess longer fascicles in most muscles but smaller PCSAs than are predicted for humans of equal body mass, suggesting that the adaptive emphasis in chimpanzees is on joint mobility at the expense of tension production. In common chimpanzee bipedalism, both hips and knees are significantly more flexed than in humans, necessitating muscles capable of exerting larger moments at the joints for the same ground force. However, we find that when subject to the same stresses, chimpanzee hindlimb muscles provide far smaller moments at the joints than humans, particularly the quadriceps and plantar flexors. In contrast, all forelimb muscle masses, fascicle lengths, and PCSAs are smaller in humans than in chimpanzees, reflecting the use of the forelimbs in chimpanzee, but not human, locomotion. When subject to the same stresses, chimpanzee forelimb muscles provide larger moments at the joints than humans, presumably because of the demands on the forelimbs during locomotion. These differences in muscle architecture and function help to explain why chimpanzees are restricted in their ability to walk, and particularly to run bipedally.

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Muscle fiber architecture in the human lower limb

Cited by 489 publications

References 9 publications

Are Current Measurements of Lower Extremity Muscle Architecture Accurate?

Are Current Measurements of Lower Extremity Muscle Architecture Accurate?

Abductor tendon tears are associated with hypertrophy of the tensor fasciae latae muscle

Dimensions and moment arms of the hind- and forelimb muscles of common chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

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