Provocative mechanical tests of the peripheral nervous system affect the joint torque‐angle during passive knee motion

Andrade, Ricardo J.; Freitas, Sandro R.; Vaz, João R.; Bruno, Paula M.; Pezarat‐Correia, Pedro

doi:10.1111/sms.12250

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 35 publications

(63 reference statements)

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“…a significant increase in EMG activity. Therefore, torque (resistive force to elongation during the stretching maneuver) may be considered passive because the biological tissue deformation happened with minimal participation of voluntary or reflex muscle contractions 20 . Stiffness is the resistive force estimation of MTU in response to changes in its length 9 , whereas energy is the biological tissues’ ability to absorb work that can either be reused in subsequent movements or dissipated as heat 21 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploratory factor analysis for differentiating sensory and mechanical variables related to muscle-tendon unit elongation

Chagas¹,

Magalhães²,

Peixoto³

et al. 2016

Braz. J. Phys. Ther.

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BackgroundStretching exercises are able to promote adaptations in the muscle-tendon unit (MTU), which can be tested through physiological and biomechanical variables. Identifying the key variables in MTU adaptations is crucial to improvements in training.ObjectiveTo perform an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) involving the variables often used to evaluate the response of the MTU to stretching exercises.MethodMaximum joint range of motion (ROMMAX), ROM at first sensation of stretching (FSTROM), peak torque (torqueMAX), passive stiffness, normalized stiffness, passive energy, and normalized energy were investigated in 36 participants during passive knee extension on an isokinetic dynamometer. Stiffness and energy values were normalized by the muscle cross-sectional area and their passive mode assured by monitoring the EMG activity.ResultsEFA revealed two major factors that explained 89.68% of the total variance: 53.13% was explained by the variables torqueMAX, passive stiffness, normalized stiffness, passive energy, and normalized energy, whereas the remaining 36.55% was explained by the variables ROMMAX and FSTROM.ConclusionThis result supports the literature wherein two main hypotheses (mechanical and sensory theories) have been suggested to describe the adaptations of the MTU to stretching exercises. Contrary to some studies, in the present investigation torqueMAX was significantly correlated with the variables of the mechanical theory rather than those of the sensory theory. Therefore, a new approach was proposed to explain the behavior of the torqueMAX during stretching exercises.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploratory factor analysis for differentiating sensory and mechanical variables related to muscle-tendon unit elongation

Chagas¹,

Magalhães²,

Peixoto³

et al. 2016

Braz. J. Phys. Ther.

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“…Cruz-Montecinos et al [10] reported "a significant correlation between the pelvic anteversion (forward tilting), in a long sitting position (knees fully extended), and the displacement of the deep fasciae of the gastrocnemius medialis, supporting the concept of myofascial tissue connectivity. Thus, fasciae could sustain notable stress levels during stretching maneuvers that involve polyarticular motion such as the slump position or straight-leg raising" [11]. Together, these findings strongly suggest that maximal ROM may be limited by non-muscular structures such as fascia tissue.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Fascial or Muscle Stretching? A Narrative Review

et al. 2020

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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.

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“…Nerves have traditionally been suggested in reducing ROM observed in some clinical tests. For instance, knee ROM in extension is significantly reduced when the patient is placed in the slump position (i.e., maximal lumbar and cervical flexion) compared to a neutral head position [18][19][20]. The change in nerve tension is often proposed to explain the distant decrease in ROM at the knee joint [18], particularly in clinical scenarios in which the nerve in question may already be irritated and there is amplification of the discomfort in response to a limited change in strain.…”

Section: The Important Role Of Non-muscular Structuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-Muscular Structures Can Limit the Maximal Joint Range of Motion during Stretching

et al. 2017

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Stretching is widely used in sport training and clinical practice with the aim of increasing muscle-tendon extensibility and joint range of motion. The underlying assumption is that extensibility increases as a result of increased passive tension applied to muscle-tendon units. In some stretching protocols, this condition is not always met sufficiently to trigger adaptation within the muscle-tendon unit. For example, there is experimental evidence that both acute and chronic stretching interventions may increase the maximal range of motion in the absence of changes in the passive torque-angle curve. We contend that these results are partly explained by the influence of non-muscular structures that contribute only marginally to the passive torque. The potential candidates are the nervous system and fasciae, which would play an important role in the perception of the stretch and in the limitation of the range of motion of the maximal joints. At least in part, this may explain the lack of a significant effect of some chronic stretching interventions to change passive muscle tension.

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Provocative mechanical tests of the peripheral nervous system affect the joint torque‐angle during passive knee motion

Cited by 6 publications

References 35 publications

Exploratory factor analysis for differentiating sensory and mechanical variables related to muscle-tendon unit elongation

Exploratory factor analysis for differentiating sensory and mechanical variables related to muscle-tendon unit elongation

Fascial or Muscle Stretching? A Narrative Review

Non-Muscular Structures Can Limit the Maximal Joint Range of Motion during Stretching

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