Static vs. Dynamic Acute Stretching Effect on Quadriceps Muscle Activity during Soccer Instep Kicking

Abstract The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of static and dynamic stretching on quadriceps muscle activation during maximal soccer instep kicking. The kicking motion of twelve male college soccer players (body height: 174.66 ± 5.01 cm; body mass: 72.83 ± 4.83 kg; age: 18.83 ± 0.75 years) was captured using six synchronized high-speed infra-red cameras whilst electromyography (EMG) signals from vastus medialis (VM), lateralis (VL) and rectus femoris (RF) were recorded before and after static or dynamic stretching. Analysis of variance designs showed a higher increase in knee extension angular velocity (9.65% vs. -1.45%, p < 0.001), RF (37.5% vs. -8.33%, p < 0.001), VM (12% vs. - 12%, p < 0.018), and VL EMG activity (20% vs. -6.67%, p < 0.001) after dynamic stretching exercises. Based on these results, it could be suggested that dynamic stretching is probably more effective in increasing quadriceps muscle activity and knee extension angular velocity during the final swing phase of a maximal soccer instep kick than static stretching.

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Alternate muscle activity observed between knee extensor synergists during low-level sustained contractions

Journal of Applied Physiology ◽

10.1152/japplphysiol.00764.2001 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 93 (2) ◽

pp. 675-684 ◽

Cited By ~ 68

Author(s):

Motoki Kouzaki ◽

Minoru Shinohara ◽

Kei Masani ◽

Hiroaki Kanehisa ◽

Tetsuo Fukunaga

Keyword(s):

Muscle Activity ◽

Vastus Lateralis ◽

Force Production ◽

Knee Extensor ◽

Rectus Femoris ◽

Quadriceps Muscle ◽

Knee Extension ◽

Voluntary Contraction ◽

Low Level ◽

Integrated Emg

To determine quantitatively the features of alternate muscle activity between knee extensor synergists during low-level prolonged contraction, a surface electromyogram (EMG) was recorded from the rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL), and vastus medialis (VM) in 11 subjects during isometric knee extension exercise at 2.5% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) for 60 min ( experiment 1). Furthermore, to examine the relation between alternate muscle activity and contraction levels, six of the subjects also performed sustained knee extension at 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0% of MVC ( experiment 2). Alternate muscle activity among the three muscles was assessed by quantitative analysis on the basis of the rate of integrated EMG sequences. In experiment 1, the number of alternations was significantly higher between RF and either VL or VM than between VL and VM. Moreover, the frequency of alternate muscle activity increased with time. In experiment 2, alternating muscle activity was found during contractions at 2.5 and 5.0% of MVC, although not at 7.5 and 10.0% of MVC, and the number of alternations was higher at 2.5 than at 5.0% of MVC. Thus the findings of the present study demonstrated that alternate muscle activity in the quadriceps muscle 1) appears only between biarticular RF muscle and monoarticular vasti muscles (VL and VM), and its frequency of alternations progressively increases with time, and 2) emerges under sustained contraction with force production levels ≤5.0% of MVC.

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The management of proximal rectus femoris avulsion injuries

EFORT Open Reviews ◽

10.1302/2058-5241.5.200055 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (11) ◽

pp. 828-834

Author(s):

Fahima A. Begum ◽

Babar Kayani ◽

Justin S. Chang ◽

Rosamond J. Tansey ◽

Fares S. Haddad

Keyword(s):

High Speed ◽

Muscle Activation ◽

Imaging Modality ◽

Rectus Femoris ◽

Operative Management ◽

Quadriceps Muscle ◽

Hamstring Injury ◽

Recurrence Rates ◽

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽

Sporting Activities

Injuries to the quadriceps muscle group are commonly seen in sporting activities that involve repetitive kicking and high-speed sprinting, including football (soccer), rugby and athletics. The proximal rectus femoris is prone to avulsion injuries as rapid eccentric muscle contraction leads to asynchronous muscle activation and different force vectors through the straight and reflected heads. Risk factors for injury include previous rectus femoris muscle or hamstring injury, reduced flexibility of the quadriceps complex, injury to the dominant leg, and dry field playing conditions. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the preferred imaging modality as it enables the site of injury to be accurately located, concurrent injuries to be identified, preoperative grading of the injury, and aids surgical planning. Non-operative management is associated with highly variable periods of convalescence, poor return to preinjury level of function and high risk of injury recurrence. Operative treatment of proximal rectus femoris avulsion injuries with surgical repair or surgical tenodesis enables return to preinjury level of sporting activity and high functional outcomes. Surgical tenodesis of proximal rectus femoris avulsion injuries may offer an avenue for further reducing recurrence rates compared to direct suture anchor repair of these injuries. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2020;5:828-834. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.5.200055

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Coordination amongst quadriceps muscles suggests neural regulation of internal joint stresses, not simplification of task performance

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1916578117 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 117 (14) ◽

pp. 8135-8142 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Cristiano Alessandro ◽

Filipe O. Barroso ◽

Adarsh Prashara ◽

David P. Tentler ◽

Hsin-Yun Yeh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Task Performance ◽

Muscle Activity ◽

Vastus Lateralis ◽

Movement Control ◽

Rectus Femoris ◽

Quadriceps Muscle ◽

Knee Extension ◽

High Positive Correlation ◽

Internal Joint ◽

Task Variables

Many studies have demonstrated covariation between muscle activations during behavior, suggesting that muscles are not controlled independently. According to one common proposal, this covariation reflects simplification of task performance by the nervous system so that muscles with similar contributions to task variables are controlled together. Alternatively, this covariation might reflect regulation of low-level aspects of movements that are common across tasks, such as stresses within joints. We examined these issues by analyzing covariation patterns in quadriceps muscle activity during locomotion in rats. The three monoarticular quadriceps muscles (vastus medialis [VM], vastus lateralis [VL], and vastus intermedius [VI]) produce knee extension and so have identical contributions to task performance; the biarticular rectus femoris (RF) produces an additional hip flexion. Consistent with the proposal that muscle covariation is related to similarity of muscle actions on task variables, we found that the covariation between VM and VL was stronger than their covariations with RF. However, covariation between VM and VL was also stronger than their covariations with VI. Since all vastii have identical actions on task variables, this finding suggests that covariation between muscle activity is not solely driven by simplification of overt task performance. Instead, the preferentially strong covariation between VM and VL is consistent with the control of internal joint stresses: Since VM and VL produce opposing mediolateral forces on the patella, the high positive correlation between their activation minimizes the net mediolateral patellar force. These results provide important insights into the interpretation of muscle covariations and their role in movement control.

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Comparison of quadriceps muscle activation in exercises with different duration of concentric and eccentric contractions

Archivos de Medicina del Deporte ◽

10.18176/archmeddeporte.0002 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 37 (5) ◽

pp. 291-297

Author(s):

G Freire da Silva ◽

F Douglas Tourino ◽

RC Ribeiro Diniz ◽

L Túlio de Lacerda ◽

HC Martins Costa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Degrees Of Freedom ◽

Muscle Activation ◽

Vastus Lateralis ◽

Knee Extensor ◽

Rectus Femoris ◽

Quadriceps Muscle ◽

Knee Extension ◽

Muscle Action ◽

Emg Signal ◽

Knee Extension Exercise

Aim: The objective of the present study was to compare the amplitude of the electromyographic (EMG) signal of the quadriceps muscle portions vastus medialis (VM), vastus lateralis (VL) and rectus femoris (RF) and the activation ratio (VM/VL, VM/RF and VL/RF) in protocols with different durations of concentric and eccentric muscular actions. Material and method: Twelve female volunteers performed the knee extensor exercise with two different protocols [1s for concentric muscle action and 5s for eccentric muscle action (1:5); 5s of concentric muscle action and 1s of eccentric muscle action (5:1)] and 3 sets of 6 repetitions, 180s of pause between each sets and a intensity of 50% of 1RM. The root mean square of the amplitude of the normalized EMG signal was calculated for each repetition in each series. Results: it was observed an increase in the activation of the VM and VL portions in equivalent repetitions of each series and for the VL portion, the 1: 5 protocol provided greater activation compared to the other protocol. No differences were found for muscles activation ratios VM/RF and VL/RF, being that for the VM/VL ratio there was only change at one repetition. Conclusion: The results suggest that the portions of the quadriceps muscle may present different EMG responses in similar protocols, but this fact may not interfere in the synergism between them. The reduced degrees of freedom of the knee extension exercise and the characteristics of the protocols adopted may be the elements that contributed to the limited alterations that occurred in the present study.

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Differences of Thigh Muscle Activation During Various Squat Exercise on Stable and Unstable Surfaces

Exercise Science ◽

10.15857/ksep.2021.30.3.387 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 387-395

Author(s):

Soojin Kim ◽

Joo-Hyun Lee ◽

Jihye Heo ◽

Eunwook Chang

Keyword(s):

Muscle Activity ◽

Repeated Measures ◽

Muscle Activation ◽

Vastus Lateralis ◽

Rectus Femoris ◽

Biceps Femoris ◽

Quadriceps Muscle ◽

Thigh Muscle ◽

Unstable Surface ◽

Co Activation

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare thigh muscle activities and muscle co-activation when performing squats, wall squats, and Spanish squats on stable and unstable ground.METHODS: Twenty-two healthy male subjects (age: 22.50±2.70 years, height: 178.72±6.04 cm, mass: 76.50±6.80 kg, body mass index: 24.00±2.10 kg/m2, and Godin activity questionnaire: 56.30±24.10) voluntarily participated in the study. All of the participants performed three different squat exercises on the floor and the BOSU ball with an electromyograph attached to each participant’s quadriceps (rectus femoris, RF; vastus lateralis, VL; and vastus medialis, VM) and hamstrings (biceps femoris, BF; semitendinosus, ST; and semimembranosus, SM). Repeated measures of analysis of variance were utilized to compare muscle activity during the three squats exercises by floor type.RESULTS: RF (p<.001, η2=.689), VL (p<.001, η2=.622), and VM (p=.002, η2=.375) showed significant differences between exercises. Spanish squats yielded greater BF activity than did wall squats (p=.018, η2=.269). ST yielded greater muscle activity with the BOSU ball than on the floor (p=.018, η2=.269). Finally, there was a significant ground exercise interaction effect on the co-activation, showing greater muscle co-activation with Spanish squats on the BOSU ball compared to squats, squats on the BOSU ball, and wall squat on the BOSU ball.CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study indicate that Spanish squats could be an effective exercise option for the facilitation of RF, VL, VM, and BF muscle activation. In particular, performing Spanish squats on an unstable surface could be useful for patients who need to improve their quadriceps muscle activation.

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The Existence of a Sticking Region in Free Weight Squats

Journal of Human Kinetics ◽

10.2478/hukin-2014-0061 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

pp. 63-71 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Roland van den Tillaar ◽

Vidar Andersen ◽

Atle Hole Saeterbakken

Keyword(s):

Resistance Training ◽

Body Mass ◽

Muscle Activity ◽

Bench Press ◽

Body Height ◽

Rectus Femoris ◽

Biceps Femoris ◽

Emg Activity ◽

Training Experience ◽

Free Weight

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the existence of the sticking region in two legged free weight squats. Fifteen resistance-training males (age 24 ± 4 years, body mass 82 ± 11 kg, body height 179 ± 6 cm) with 6 ± 3 years of resistance-training experience performed 6-RM in free weight squats. The last repetition was analyzed for the existence of a sticking region. Only in 10 out of 15 participants a sticking region was observed. The observed sticking region was much shorter than in the bench press. Furthermore, rectus femoris decreased the EMG activity in contrast to increased EMG activity in biceps femoris around the sticking and surrounding region. No significant change in EMG activity was found for the lateral and medial vastus muscles. It is suggested that a combination of these muscle activity changes could be one of the causes of the existence of the sticking region in free weight squats

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A Comparison of Muscle Activity in Concentric and Counter Movement Maximum Bench Press

Journal of Human Kinetics ◽

10.2478/hukin-2013-0046 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 38 ◽

pp. 63-71 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Roland van den Tillaar ◽

Gertjan Ettema

Keyword(s):

Muscle Activity ◽

Muscle Activation ◽

Bench Press ◽

Body Height ◽

Emg Activity ◽

Activation Patterns ◽

Repetition Maximum ◽

Muscle Activation Patterns ◽

Free Weight ◽

Muscle Actions

Abstract The purpose of this study was to compare the kinematics and muscle activation patterns of regular free-weight bench press (counter movement) with pure concentric lifts in the ascending phase of a successful one repetition maximum (1-RM) attempt in the bench press. Our aim was to evaluate if diminishing potentiation could be the cause of the sticking region. Since diminishing potentiation cannot occur in pure concentric lifts, the occurrence of a sticking region in this type of muscle actions would support the hypothesis that the sticking region is due to a poor mechanical position. Eleven male participants (age 21.9 ~ 1.7 yrs, body mass 80.7 ~ 10.9 kg, body height 1.79 ~ 0.07 m) conducted 1-RM lifts in counter movement and in pure concentric bench presses in which kinematics and EMG activity were measured. In both conditions, a sticking region occurred. However, the start of the sticking region was different between the two bench presses. In addition, in four of six muscles, the muscle activity was higher in the counter movement bench press compared to the concentric one. Considering the findings of the muscle activity of six muscles during the maximal lifts it was concluded that the diminishing effect of force potentiation, which occurs in the counter movement bench press, in combination with a delayed muscle activation unlikely explains the existence of the sticking region in a 1-RM bench press. Most likely, the sticking region is the result of a poor mechanical force position.

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Coordination amongst quadriceps muscles suggests neural regulation of internal joint stresses, not simplification of task performance

10.1101/781534 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Cristiano Alessandro ◽

Adarsh Prashara ◽

David P. Tentler ◽

Hsin-Yun Yeh ◽

Filipe O. Barroso ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Task Performance ◽

Muscle Activity ◽

Vastus Lateralis ◽

Movement Control ◽

Rectus Femoris ◽

Quadriceps Muscle ◽

Knee Extension ◽

High Positive Correlation ◽

Internal Joint ◽

Task Variables

SummaryMany studies have demonstrated co-variation between muscle activations during behavior, suggesting that muscles are not controlled independently. According to one common proposal, this co-variation reflects simplification of task performance by the nervous system, so that muscles with similar contributions to task variables are controlled together. Alternatively, this co-variation might reflect regulation of low-level aspects of movements that are common across tasks, such as stresses within joints. We examined these issues by analyzing co-variation patterns in quadriceps muscle activity during locomotion in rats. The three mono-articular quadriceps muscles (vastus medialis, VM; vastus lateralis, VL; vastus intermedius, VI) produce knee extension and so have identical contributions to task performance; the bi-articular rectus femoris (RF) produces an additional hip flexion. Consistent with the proposal that muscle co-variation is related to similarity of muscle actions on task variables, we found that the co-variation between VM and VL was stronger than their co-variations with RF. However, co-variation between VM and VL was also stronger than their co-variations with VI. Since all vastii have identical actions on task variables, this finding suggests that co-variation between muscle activity is not solely driven by simplification of task performance. Instead, the preferentially strong co-variation between VM and VL is consistent with the control of internal joint stresses: since VM and VL produce opposing mediolateral forces on the patella, the high positive correlation between their activation minimizes the net mediolateral patellar force. These results provide important insights into the interpretation of muscle co-variations and their role in movement control.

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One Session Effects of Knee Motion Visualization Using Immersive Virtual Reality in Patients with Hemophilic Arthropathy

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10204725 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (20) ◽

pp. 4725

Author(s):

Roberto Ucero-Lozano ◽

Raúl Pérez-Llanes ◽

José Antonio López-Pina ◽

Rubén Cuesta-Barriuso

Keyword(s):

Muscle Activation ◽

Vastus Lateralis ◽

Joint Damage ◽

Rectus Femoris ◽

Quadriceps Muscle ◽

Knee Extension ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Specific Protocol ◽

Rectus Femoris Muscle ◽

Femoris Muscle

(1) Background: Hemophilic knee arthropathy is characterized by a loss of muscle mass and decreased strength of the quadriceps muscle. The visualization of movement aims to favor the recruitment of the motor system in the same premotor and parietal areas, as would happen with the active execution of the observed action. The aim was to evaluate changes in quadriceps activation in patients with hemophilic knee arthropathy following immersive VR visualization of knee extension movements. (2) Methods: We recruited 13 patients with severe hemophilia A and knee arthropathy. Patients underwent a 15 min session of immersive VR visualization of knee extension movements. The quadriceps muscle activation was evaluated by surface electromyography. (3) Results: After the intervention, there were no changes in the muscle activation of vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, or rectus femoris muscles. There was a large effect size of changes in rectus femoris muscle activation. Age and knee joint damage did not correlate with changes in quadriceps activation. Dominance, inhibitor development, and type of treatment were not related with post-intervention muscle activation. (4) Conclusions: A session of immersive VR visualization of knee extension movement does not modify quadriceps muscle activation. A specific protocol for patients with hemophilic knee arthropathy may be effective in improving the activation of the rectus femoris muscle.

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Changes in muscle activities and kinematics due to simulated leg length inequalities

Biomedical Engineering / Biomedizinische Technik ◽

10.1515/bmt-2020-0266 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Hannah Lena Siebers ◽

Jörg Eschweiler ◽

Filippo Migliorini ◽

Valentin Michael Quack ◽

Markus Tingart ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Muscle Activity ◽

Rectus Femoris ◽

Knee Extension ◽

Pelvic Obliquity ◽

Lateral Flexion ◽

Leg Length ◽

Joint Angles ◽

Leg Muscles ◽

Compensation Mechanisms ◽

Musculoskeletal Problems

Abstract Muscle imbalances are a leading cause of musculoskeletal problems. One example are leg length inequalities (LLIs). This study aimed to analyze the effect of different (simulated) LLIs on back and leg muscles in combination with kinematic compensation mechanics. Therefore, 20 healthy volunteers were analyzed during walking with artificial LLIs (0–4 cm). The effect of different amounts of LLIs and significant differences to the reference condition without LLI were calculated of maximal joint angles, mean muscle activity, and its symmetry index. While walking, LLIs led to higher muscle activity and asymmetry of back muscles, by increased lumbar lateral flexion and pelvic obliquity. The rectus femoris showed higher values, independent of the amount of LLI, whereas the activity of the gastrocnemius on the shorter leg increased. The hip and knee flexion of the long leg increased significantly with increasing LLIs, like the knee extension and the ankle plantarflexion of the shorter leg. The described compensation mechanisms are explained by a dynamic lengthening of the short and shortening of the longer leg, which is associated with increased and asymmetrical muscle activity. Presenting this overview is important for a better understanding of the effects of LLIs to improve diagnostic and therapy in the future.

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