Dataset Information

Residual force enhancement due to active muscle lengthening allows similar reductions in neuromuscular activation during position- and force-control tasks.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Residual torque enhancement (rTE) is the increase in torque observed during the isometric steady state following active muscle lengthening when compared with a fixed-end isometric contraction at the same muscle length and level of neuromuscular activation. In the rTE state, owing to an elevated contribution of passive force to total force production, less active force is required, and there is a subsequent reduction in activation. In vivo studies of rTE reporting an activation reduction are often performed using a dynamometer, where participants contract against a rigid restraint, resisting a torque motor. rTE has yet to be investigated during a position task, which involves the displacement of an inertial load with positional control.

Methods

A total of 12 participants (6 males, 6 females; age = 22.8 ± 1.1 years, height = 174.7 ± 8.6 cm, mass = 82.1 ± 37.7 kg; mean ± SD) completed torque- and position-matching tasks at 60% maximum voluntary contraction for a fixed-end isometric contraction and an isometric contraction following active lengthening of the ankle dorsiflexors.

Results

There were no significant differences in activation between torque- and position-matching tasks (p = 0.743), with ∼27% activation reduction following active lengthening for both task types (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

These results indicate that rTE is a feature of voluntary, position-controlled contractions. These findings support and extend previous findings of isometric torque-control conditions to position-controlled contractions that represent different tasks of daily living.

SUBMITTER: Marion R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7749268 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundThe steady-state increase in muscle force generating potential following a lengthening contraction is called residual force enhancement (RFE). In this study, we aimed to test for differences in torque, electromyographic activity (EMG), and the associated neuromuscular efficiency (NME) between isometric voluntary contractions of elbow flexors preceded and not preceded by a lengthening contraction. The dependence of such differences on (i) stretch amplitude, (ii) the region of the force-length (FxL) relationship where contraction occurs, and (iii) the individual's ability to produce (negative) work during the stretch was investigated.MethodsSixteen healthy adults participated in the study. Elbow flexor torque, angle, and biceps brachii EMG for purely isometric contractions (reference contractions) and for isometric contractions preceded by active stretches of 20° and 40° were measured at the ascending, plateau, and descending regions of subject-specific FxL curves. All contractions were performed in an isokinetic dynamometer. Two-factor (stretch × FxL region) repeated measures analysis of variance ANOVAs was used to analyze the effect of active stretch on EMG, torque, and NME across conditions. The relationships between mechanical work during stretch-calculated as the torque-angular displacement integral-and the changes in EMG, torque, and NME were analyzed using Pearson correlation.ResultsIn general, torque, EMG, and NME following active stretches differed from the values observed for the purely isometric reference contractions. While although the detailed effects of active stretch on torque and EMG differed between regions of the FxL relationship, NME increased by about 19% for all muscle lengths. Up to 30% of the interindividual variability in torque generating potential change in response to active stretching was accounted for by differences in (negative) work capacity between subjects.ConclusionOur results suggest that (i) RFE contributes to "flatten" the elbow flexor torque-angle relationship, favoring torque production at lengths where the purely isometric torques are reduced substantially, and (ii) RFE contributes to a reduction in energy cost of torque production during isometric contractions for the entire operating range.

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