No Association between Jump Parameters and Tissue Stiffness in the Quadriceps and Triceps Surae Muscles in Recreationally Active Young Adult Males

Abstract

While the main contributor for drop jump (DJ) performance is the calf muscle–tendon unit (MTU), for countermovement jump (CMJ) performance, it is the quadriceps MTU. However, to date, it is not clear if the muscle and/or tendon stiffness of the respective MTUs can be related to DJ or CMJ performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between DJ and CMJ performance parameters and tissue stiffness (i.e., muscle stiffness, tendon stiffness) of the calf MTU and quadriceps MTU, respectively. Consequently, with 16 healthy volunteers, the tissue stiffness of the gastrocnemius medialis (GM), gastrocnemius lateralis (GL) Achilles tendon (AT), vastus medialis (VM), vastus lateralis (VL), rectus femoris (RF), and patellar tendon (PT) were recorded with a Myoton device. Moreover, DJ and CMJ performances were assessed with a force plate. The alpha level was set to 0.05. Pearson correlation coefficients revealed no significant association between DJ performance and GM, GL, or AT stiffness (−0.07 to 0.24; p > 0.05). Similarly, no association was found between CMJ performance parameters and VM, VL, RF, or PT stiffness (−0.13–0.36; p > 0.05). According to our results, other variables, such as jump technique, body weight, or strength, were likely play a more important role in DJ and CMJ performance.

Relationship between Muscle-Tendon Stiffness and Drop Jump Performance in Young Male Basketball Players during Developmental Stages

“…Finally, it is worth mentioning the study by Konrad et al (2022) [ 19 ], who found no correlation between Achilles tendon and patellar stiffness and DJ40 performance parameters (RSI, JH, and CT) using the MyotonPro. One possible explanation for this discrepancy could be (in addition to the smaller number of subjects) that their participants were physically active adults lacking experience in jumping skills, whereas our participants were young basketball players who were familiar with the DJ and good jumping technique.…”

“…For example, several authors reported moderate positive correlations of gastrocnemius medialis muscle stiffness (measured by ultrasound shear wave elastography or SWUE) with jump height and the reactive strength index (RSI = jump height/contact time) in healthy men during a 15 cm drop jump, but not with contact time [ 21 ]. In contrast, other authors did not find any positive correlations between 40 cm drop jump performance parameters and quadriceps and triceps surae stiffness (assessed with the MyotonPRO device both at the tendons and muscle tissue) in recreationally active adult males [ 19 ].…”

“…Therefore, having stiffer tendons and/or muscles might be beneficial for a more effective force transmission from the contractile element via the tendon to the bones [ 18 ]. However, although a strong relationship between stiffness and performance indices in vertical jumping is hypothesized, there is limited and contrasting evidence to support this relationship [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. This is likely due to the different methods and protocols that have been used to measure stiffness and jump performance, as well as the different training levels and backgrounds of the subjects examined.…”

Inability of Quadriceps Muscular Stiffness to Explain Variances in Torque during Isometric Knee Extension Tests Across Different Degrees of Knee Position in Healthy Individuals

“…(3)vastus lateralis (VL): The measurements were done at lower 1/3 of the distance between the anterior superior iliac spine and lateral patella. 27 The stiffness measurement was taken with the participant in the sitting position with the knee bent at 0°( resting) and 30°, 60°, 90°(maximum isometric contraction ). The knee angle was maintained by isokinetic training equipment.…”

Effects of blood flow restriction on mechanical properties of the rectus femoris muscle at rest

“…Intramuscular fluid pressure can have a significant impact on muscle function, affecting the geometry of muscle fibers and, as a result, the level of produced force ( Sejersted and Hargens, 1995 ). Therefore, according to Konrad and Paternoster. (2022) , evaluating this variable could contribute to the prediction of changes in muscle performance ( Wang et al, 2017 ; Wang et al, 2017 ; Klich et al, 2019 ; Klich et al, 2020 ).…”