Muscle coactivation: A generalized or localized motor control strategy?

Law, Laura Frey; Avin, Keith G.

doi:10.1002/mus.23801

Cited by 35 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…A secondary finding was that women had higher CMC, MHC, and LHC than men, consistent with previous studies that also found healthy women and women with KOA have greater hamstring antagonist coactivation than men . Here, we report an inverse relationship between coactivation and quadriceps strength in women but not in men.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Influence of Antagonistic Hamstring Coactivation on Measurement of Quadriceps Strength in Older Adults

Sisante

Wang

Felson

et al. 2019

PM&R

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Background: There is limited understanding of how antagonist muscle coactivation relates to measurement of strength in both individuals with and without knee osteoarthritis (KOA).Objective: This study sought to determine whether hamstring coactivation during a maximal quadriceps activation task attenuates net quadriceps strength. Design: Cross-sectional cohort analysis was conducted using data from the 60-month visit of the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study (MOST). Setting: Laboratory. Participants: A sample of 2328 community-dwelling MOST participants between the ages of 55 and 84 years, with or at elevated risk for KOA, completed the 60-month MOST follow-up visit. Of these, 1666 met inclusion criteria for the current study. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure(s): Quadriceps strength; percentage of combined hamstring coactivation (HC), medial HC, and lateral HC. Quadriceps and hamstring strength were assessed using an isokinetic dynamometer. Surface electromyography was used to assess muscle activation patterns. General linear models, adjusted for age, BMI, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grade and study site, modeled the relationship between antagonist hamstring coactivation and quadriceps strength. Results: Men had significantly greater quadriceps strength (P < .001), history of knee injury (P < .001) and surgery (P = .002), and greater presence of varus malalignment (P < .001). Women had greater pain (P < .001) and proportion of KL grade ≥2 (P = .017). Gender-specific analyses revealed combined HC (P = .013) and lateral HC inversely associated with quadriceps strength in women (P = .023) but not in men (combined HC P = .320, lateral HC P = .755). A nonlinear association was detected between quadriceps strength and medial HC. Assessment of quartiles of medial HC revealed the third quartile had reduced quadriceps strength when compared to the lowest quartile of coactivation in both men and women. Conclusions: Hamstring coactivation attenuates measured quadriceps strength in women with or at elevated risk for KOA.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Influence of Antagonistic Hamstring Coactivation on Measurement of Quadriceps Strength in Older Adults

Sisante

Wang

Felson

et al. 2019

PM&R

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“…Also, coactivation was assessed during an isolated open kinetic chain strength assessment, which allowed normalization to maximal activation and was feasible in this wired sEMG study, but may not translate to coactivation strategies used during functional activities, particularly closed kinetic chain activities. Although evidence of a tendency to use coactivation as a generalized motor control strategy in open kinetic chain tasks has been demonstrated 31 , this does not rule out the possibility that coactivation during functional tasks may differ from open kinetic chain coactivation assessment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…However, there is evidence that coactivation may be modified with directed rehabilitation 30 . Additionally, muscle coactivation is, in part, a generalized motor control strategy that some individuals appear to be more prone to utilize, even when assessed using open kinetic chain strength testing 31 . This assessment of muscle coactivation during an open kinetic chain test condition is a relatively simple assay that could be assessed in clinical rehabilitation settings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The association between antagonist hamstring coactivation and episodes of knee joint shifting and buckling

Segal

Nevitt

Welborn

et al. 2015

Osteoarthritis and Cartilage

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SUMMARY Objective Hamstring coactivation during quadriceps activation is necessary to counteract the quadriceps pull on the tibia, but coactivation can be elevated with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA). To guide rehabilitation to attenuate risk for mobility limitations and falls, this study evaluated whether higher antagonistic open kinetic chain hamstring coactivation is associated with knee joint buckling (sudden loss of support) and shifting (a sensation that the knee might give way). Design At baseline, median hamstring coactivation was assessed during maximal isokinetic knee extensor strength testing and at baseline and 24-month follow-up, knee buckling and shifting was self-reported. Associations between tertiles of co-activation and knee (1) buckling, (2) shifting and (3) either buckling or shifting were assessed using logistic regression, adjusted for age, sex, knee OA and pain. Results 1826 participants (1089 women) were included. Mean ± SD age was 61.7 ± 7.7 years, BMI was 30.3 ± 5.5 kg/m2 and 38.2% of knees had OA. There were no consistent statistically significant associations between hamstring coactivation and ipsilateral prevalent or incident buckling or the combination of buckling and shifting. The odds ratios for incident shifting in the highest in comparison with the lowest tertile of coactivation had similar magnitudes in the combined and medial hamstrings, but only reached statistical significance for lateral hamstring coactivation, OR(95%CI) 1.53 (0.99, 2.36). Conclusions Hamstring coactivation during an open kinetic chain quadriceps exercise was not consistently associated with prevalent or incident self-reported knee buckling or shifting in older adults with or at risk for knee OA.

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“…1). Although cocontraction is often used as a synonym of coactivation (Frey-Law and Avin, 2013), some authors make a distinction between these two terms. In that case, cocontraction has been defined as the deliberate concurrent activation of two antagonistic muscle groups with the purpose of stiffening a joint (Nielsen and Kagamihara, 1992).…”

Section: Coactivation Vs Cocontractionmentioning

confidence: 99%