Mechanical behaviour of the Achilles tendon during maximum voluntary contraction in children with spastic cerebral palsy compared to typically developing peers

2016 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 60
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Achilles Tendon ◽  
Mechanical Behaviour ◽  
Maximum Voluntary Contraction ◽  
Voluntary Contraction ◽  
Spastic Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Typically Developing

scholarly journals Sex Differences in the Morphological and Mechanical Properties of the Achilles Tendon

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (17) ◽  
pp. 8974
Author(s):  
Xini Zhang ◽  
Liqin Deng ◽  
Songlin Xiao ◽  
Lu Li ◽  
Weijie Fu
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Achilles Tendon ◽  
Maximum Voluntary Contraction ◽  
Voluntary Contraction ◽  
Cross Sectional Area ◽  
Morphological Properties ◽  
Sectional Area ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Force Peak ◽  
Strain Stress

Background: Patients with Achilles tendon (AT) injuries are often engaged in sedentary work because of decreasing tendon vascularisation. Furthermore, men are more likely to be exposed to AT tendinosis or ruptures. These conditions are related to the morphological and mechanical properties of AT, but the mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of sex on the morphological and mechanical properties of the AT in inactive individuals. Methods: In total, 30 inactive healthy participants (15 male participants and 15 female participants) were recruited. The AT morphological properties (cross-sectional area, thickness, and length) were captured by using an ultrasound device. The AT force–elongation characteristics were determined during isometric plantarflexion with the ultrasonic videos. The AT stiffness was determined at 50%–100% maximum voluntary contraction force. The AT strain, stress, and hysteresis were calculated. Results: Male participants had 15% longer AT length, 31% larger AT cross-sectional area and 21% thicker AT than female participants (p < 0.05). The plantarflexion torque, peak AT force, peak AT stress, and AT stiffness were significantly greater in male participants than in female participants (p < 0.05). However, no significant sex-specific differences were observed in peak AT strain and hysteresis (p > 0.05). Conclusions: In physically inactive adults, the morphological properties of AT were superior in men but were exposed to higher stress conditions. Moreover, no significant sex-specific differences were observed in peak AT strain and hysteresis, indicating that the AT of males did not store and return elastic energy more efficiently than that of females. Thus, the mechanical properties of the AT should be maintained and/or improved through physical exercise.

scholarly journals Development of Lower Extremity Strength in Ambulatory Children With Bilateral Spastic Cerebral Palsy in Comparison With Typically Developing Controls Using Absolute and Normalized to Body Weight Force Values

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolaos Darras ◽  
Eirini Nikaina ◽  
Magda Tziomaki ◽  
Georgios Gkrimas ◽  
Antigone Papavasiliou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Muscle Strength ◽  
Lower Limb ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Knee Extensors ◽  
Spastic Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Antagonist Muscles ◽  
Muscle Groups

This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the development of lower limb voluntary strength in 160 ambulatory patients with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (CP) (106 diplegics/54 quadriplegics) and 86 typically developing (TD) controls, aged 7–16 years. Handheld dynamometry was used to measure isometric strength of seven muscle groups (hip adductors and abductors, hip extensors and flexors, knee extensors and flexors, and ankle dorsiflexors); absolute force (AF) values in pounds were collected, which were then normalized to body weight (NF). AF values increased with increasing age (p &lt; 0.001 for all muscle groups), whereas NF values decreased through adolescence (p &lt; 0.001 for all muscle groups except for hip abduction where p = 0.022), indicating that increases in weight through adolescence led to decreases in relative force. Both AF and NF values were significantly greater in TD subjects when compared with children with CP in all muscle and all age groups (p &lt; 0.001). Diplegics and quadriplegics demonstrated consistently lower force values than TD subjects for all muscle groups, except for the hip extensors where TD children had similar values with diplegics (p = 0.726) but higher than quadriplegics (p = 0.001). Diplegic patients also exhibited higher values than quadriplegics in all muscles, except for the knee extensors where their difference was only indicative (p = 0.056). The conversion of CP subjects' force values as a percentage of the TD subjects' mean value revealed a pattern of significant muscle strength imbalance between the CP antagonist muscles, documented from the following deficit differences for the CP muscle couples: (hip extensors 13%) / (hip flexors 32%), (adductors 27%) / (abductors 52%), and (knee extensors 37%) / (knee flexors 53%). This pattern was evident in all age groups. Similarly, significant force deficiencies were identified in GMFCS III/IV patients when compared with TD children and GMFCS I/II patients. In this study, we demonstrated that children and adolescents with bilateral CP exhibited lower strength values in lower limb muscles when compared with their TD counterparts. This difference was more prevalent in quadriplegic patients and those with a more severe impairment. An important pattern of muscle strength imbalance between the antagonist muscles of the CP subjects was revealed.

Achilles Tendon Mechanical Properties After Both Prolonged Continuous Running and Prolonged Intermittent Shuttle Running in Cricket Batting

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence Houghton ◽  
Brian Dawson ◽  
Jonas Rubenson
Keyword(s):  
Achilles Tendon ◽  
Elastic Energy ◽  
Plantar Flexion ◽  
Maximum Voluntary Contraction ◽  
Voluntary Contraction ◽  
Force Transmission ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Tendon Force ◽  
Force Displacement ◽  
Tendon Properties

Effects of prolonged running on Achilles tendon properties were assessed after a 60 min treadmill run and 140 min intermittent shuttle running (simulated cricket batting innings). Before and after exercise, 11 participants performed ramp-up plantar flexions to maximum-voluntary-contraction before gradual relaxation. Muscle-tendon-junction displacement was measured with ultrasonography. Tendon force was estimated using dynamometry and a musculoskeletal model. Gradients of the ramp-up force-displacement curves fitted between 0–40% and 50–90% of the preexercise maximal force determined stiffness in the low- and high-force-range, respectively. Hysteresis was determined using the ramp-up and relaxation force-displacement curves and elastic energy storage from the area under the ramp-up curve. In simulated batting, correlations between tendon properties and shuttle times were also assessed. After both protocols, Achilles tendon force decreased (4% to 5%,P< .050), but there were no changes in stiffness, hysteresis, or elastic energy. In simulated batting, Achilles tendon force and stiffness were both correlated to mean turn and mean sprint times (r= −0.719 to −0.830,P< .050). Neither protocol resulted in fatigue-related changes in tendon properties, but higher tendon stiffness and plantar flexion force were related to faster turn and sprint times, possibly by improving force transmission and control of movement when decelerating and accelerating.

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