Intermuscular Interaction between Synergists in Rat Originates from both Intermuscular and Extramuscular Myofascial Force Transmission

Maas, Huub; Meijer, Hanneke J. M.; Huijing, P.A.J.B.M.

doi:10.1159/000089967

Cited by 59 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…This suggests there is some transmission of force to adjacent structures, presumably by extramuscular connective tissue (Maas et al, 2005). The presence of inter-muscular myofascial force transmission would violate the assumption, made in our analysis, that passive tension in the gastrocnemius depends only on the knee and ankle angles.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

Passive mechanical properties of human gastrocnemius muscle–tendon units, muscle fascicles and tendonsin vivo

Hoang

Herbert

Todd

et al. 2007

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARY This study provides the first in vivo measures of the passive length–tension properties of relaxed human muscle fascicles and their tendons. A new method was used to derive passive length–tension properties of human gastrocnemius muscle–tendon units from measures of ankle stiffness obtained at a range of knee angles. Passive length–tension curves of the muscle–tendon unit were then combined with ultrasonographic measures of muscle fascicle length and pennation to determine passive length–tension curves of the muscle fascicles and tendons. Mean slack lengths of the fascicles, tendons and whole muscle–tendon units were 3.3±0.5 cm, 39.5±1.6 cm and 42.3±1.5 cm, respectively (means ± s.d., N=6). On average, the muscle–tendon units were slack (i.e. their passive tension was zero) over the shortest 2.3±1.2 cm of their range. With combined changes of knee and ankle angles, the maximal increase in length of the gastrocnemius muscle–tendon unit above slack length was 6.7±1.9 cm, of which 52.4±11.7% was due to elongation of the tendon. Muscle fascicles and tendons underwent strains of 86.4±26.8% and 9.2±4.1%, respectively, across the physiological range of lengths. We conclude that the relaxed human gastrocnemius muscle–tendon unit falls slack over about one-quarter of its in vivo length and that muscle fascicle strains are much greater than tendon strains. Nonetheless, because the tendons are much longer than the muscle fascicles, tendons contribute more than half of the total compliance of the muscle–tendon unit.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

Passive mechanical properties of human gastrocnemius muscle–tendon units, muscle fascicles and tendonsin vivo

Hoang

Herbert

Todd

et al. 2007

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Therefore, only one EDL muscle compartment was most likely excited. Because EDL muscle belly is accessible only after a full longitudinal fasciotomy of the anterior crural compartment Maas et al, 2005), this was performed after the first set of measurements (see experimental protocol below).…”

Section: Surgerymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Myofascial connections between a muscle's epimysium and surrounding structures can also transmit force (Huijing, 2009;Maas and Sandercock, 2010). Several studies, in which muscles within the rat anterior crural compartment were excited maximally and their tendons were severed from the skeleton, have shown that forces exerted at the tendon of a muscle kept at a constant muscletendon unit (MTU) length were dependent on the neighboring muscle's length (Huijing and Baan, 2008;Huijing et al, 2007;Maas et al, 2005;Meijer et al, 2006;Rijkelijkhuizen et al, 2007) or relative position (Maas et al, 2004). However, several of these imposed changes were beyond those found during normal movement.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Limited mechanical effects of intermuscular myofascial connections within the intact rat anterior crural compartment

Tijs

Dieën

Maas

2016

Journal of Biomechanics

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a b s t r a c tSkeletal muscles of the rat anterior crural compartment are mechanically connected by epimuscular myofascial connections, but the relevance for mechanical muscle function within physiological ranges of joint motion is unclear. We evaluated the net effect at the ankle joint of epimuscular myofascial connections between tibialis anterior (TA) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles in the rat (n ¼ 8) and determined which anatomical structures may mediate such epimuscular mechanical interactions. We assessed (1) effects of knee angle (i.e. changes in EDL length and position relative to TA) and interactions of knee angle with fasciotomy and proximal EDL tenotomy on TA ankle moment and (2) the effect of knee angle on TA and EDL ankle moment summation. Knee angle was varied between 60°and 130°. Ankle angle was kept constant (90°). TA and EDL were excited individually and simultaneously (TA&EDL). The mathematical sum of individual TA and EDL moments was compared with the moment exerted by TA&EDL to assess the extent of non-additive ankle moment summation. Magnitude of TA ankle moment was not affected by knee angle, but frontal plane moment direction was. However, dissections indicated that this was not caused by the compartmental fascia or EDL length changes. Moment summation was non-additive in magnitude ( þ1.1 7 1.1% mean7 s.d.) and frontal plane direction. The latter was affected by knee angle and ranged from þ 0.27 0.3°at 60°to þ1.1 7 0.6°at 130°. As the net effects found were very limited, we conclude that myofascial connections between muscles in the anterior crural compartment have limited mechanical relevance during normal movement.

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“…Force can also be transmitted via intermuscular and extramuscular connective tissues (29), termed epimuscular myofascial force transmission. Mechanical interaction between muscles is an effect of such force transmission, which is defined as a change in force of restrained muscles caused by changes in MTU length of an adjacent muscle (28). The degree of force transmission between muscles depends on the force-transmitting ability of the myofascial pathways.…”

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confidence: 99%

Muscle-specific changes in length-force characteristics of the calf muscles in the spastic Han-Wistar rat

Olesen

Jensen

Uhlendorf

et al. 2014

Journal of Applied Physiology

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Olesen AT, Jensen BR, Uhlendorf TL, Cohen RW, Baan GC, Maas H. Muscle-specific changes in length-force characteristics of the calf muscles in the spastic Han-Wistar rat. J Appl Physiol 117: 989-997, 2014. First published September 4, 2014 doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00587.2014.-The purpose of the present study was to investigate muscle mechanical properties and mechanical interaction between muscles in the lower hindlimb of the spastic mutant rat. Length-force characteristics of gastrocnemius (GA), soleus (SO), and plantaris (PL) were assessed in anesthetized spastic and normally developed Han-Wistar rats. In addition, the extent of epimuscular myofascial force transmission between synergistic GA, SO, and PL, as well as between the calf muscles and antagonistic tibialis anterior (TA), was investigated. Active length-force curves of spastic GA and PL were narrower with a reduced maximal active force. In contrast, active length-force characteristics of spastic SO were similar to those of controls. In reference position (90°ankle and knee angle), higher resistance to ankle dorsiflexion and increased passive stiffness was found for the spastic calf muscle group. At optimum length, passive stiffness and passive force of spastic GA were decreased, whereas those of spastic SO were increased. No mechanical interaction between the calf muscles and TA was found. As GA was lengthened, force from SO and PL declined despite a constant muscle-tendon unit length of SO and PL. However, the extent of this interaction was not different in spastic rats. In conclusion, the effects of spasticity on length-force characteristics were muscle specific. The changes observed for GA and PL muscles are consistent with the changes in limb mechanics reported for human patients. Our results indicate that altered mechanics in spastic rats cannot be attributed to differences in mechanical interaction, but originate from individual muscular structures. muscle spasticity; mechanical properties; myofascial force transmission; muscle stiffness MUSCLE SPASTICITY HAS BEEN defined as a "velocity-depended resistance to stretch" (24) and arises secondary to upper motoneuron lesions with cerebral palsy and stroke as the most common examples (12). Individuals suffering from spasticity typically experience muscle weakness, enhanced joint stiffness, increased muscle tone, reduced range of joint motion, increased antagonistic co-contraction, and exaggerated reflexes (1,3,6,12,13,32,41,48). These effects severely impair the ability to perform daily activities, and treatment is often needed.To asses whether some of these symptoms are related to altered mechanical properties of muscle-tendon units (MTUs), passive and active length-force characteristics have been estimated as joint moment as a function of gastrocnemius (GA) fascicle length. Spastic GA was found to be stiffer than normally developed in such studies (2, 3). The active lengthforce curve of the spastic GA was narrower and the optimum length was shifted to a shorter fascicle length than in normally deve...

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Intermuscular Interaction between Synergists in Rat Originates from both Intermuscular and Extramuscular Myofascial Force Transmission

Cited by 59 publications

References 42 publications

Passive mechanical properties of human gastrocnemius muscle–tendon units, muscle fascicles and tendonsin vivo

Passive mechanical properties of human gastrocnemius muscle–tendon units, muscle fascicles and tendonsin vivo

Limited mechanical effects of intermuscular myofascial connections within the intact rat anterior crural compartment

Muscle-specific changes in length-force characteristics of the calf muscles in the spastic Han-Wistar rat

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