Article
Sport Sciences
Takehiro Kosaka, Shuhei Sasajima, Ayaka Yasuda, Soushi Mino, Keitaro Kubo
Summary: This study investigated the effects of tendon elastic energy and electromyographic activity patterns on jump performance. The results showed that jumping exercises with low pre-stretch intensity primarily benefited from tendon elastic energy, while those with high pre-stretch intensity primarily benefited from electromyographic activity patterns.
JOURNAL OF SPORTS SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Sport Sciences
Kosuke Takeuchi, Masahiro Takemura, Masatoshi Nakamura, Fumiko Tsukuda, Shumpei Miyakawa
Summary: The study found that an active warm-up with aerobic exercise can increase flexibility and strength of the calf muscles, while other warm-up methods did not show significant changes.
JOURNAL OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Physiology
Yoko Kunimasa, Kanae Sano, Caroline Nicol, Joëlle Barthelemy, Masaki Ishikawa
Summary: Muscle-tendon architecture of non-athletic Kenyan males was compared with that of their Japanese and French counterparts. The study found that Kenyans exhibited unique characteristics, including longer Achilles tendon, shorter fascicles, and larger muscle angles. These specific lower-leg musculoskeletal architectures may contribute to the running performance of Kenyans.
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Scott K. Crawford, Darryl Thelen, Janice M. Yakey, Bryan C. Heiderscheit, John J. Wilson, Kenneth S. Lee
Summary: In patients with Achilles tendinopathy, traditional sonographic measures showed increased tendon thickness, hyperemia, and hypoechogenicity in the symptomatic tendon compared to the contralateral side. However, lower shear wave speed (SWS) was observed only in the free tendon, indicating localized alterations in tendon elasticity associated with Achilles tendinopathy.
EUROPEAN RADIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Sport Sciences
Kosuke Takeuchi, Masatoshi Nakamura, Andreas Konrad, Takamasa Mizuno
Summary: Static stretching training has been found to decrease muscle stiffness, but there is no significant relationship between total stretching duration and muscle stiffness.
SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINE & SCIENCE IN SPORTS
(2023)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Zeid Al-Ani, Joshua Lauder
Summary: Ultrasound assessment of the distal biceps tendon is challenging due to its two components and deep insertion. Various ultrasound approaches with their advantages and limitations are used, along with selected examples of injuries and MRI correlation in challenging cases.
Article
Rehabilitation
Mark Lavallee, Chelsea Bush
Summary: In this study, patients undergoing ultrasound-guided percutaneous tenotomy (USGPT) for tendinopathy experienced significant improvements in pain and functionality, with statistically significant decreases in pain scores and improvements in functionality assessments at all time points.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE & REHABILITATION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Steve Hunter, Julian Werth, Darren James, Yiannis Lambrianides, Kenton Smith, Kiros Karamanidis, Gaspar Epro
Summary: This study presents a time-efficient ultrasound method for assessing Achilles tendon mechanical properties. The method was validated through comparisons with manual frame by frame tracking, and showed similar results in measuring maximal tendon force, elongation, strain, and stiffness index. Additionally, the method was able to detect significant differences in tendon force and stiffness index between different groups of individuals. This analysis has the potential to accurately monitor changes in the mechanical properties of the Achilles tendon due to aging and altered loading.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Vincenzo Ricci, Kamal Mezian, Giulio Cocco, Giorgio Tamborrini, Giacomo Fari, Fiammetta Zunica, Ke-Vin Chang, Murat Kara, Levent Ozcakar
Summary: This manuscript extensively reviews the ultrasound-guided techniques for treating lateral epicondylitis and provides relevant clinical and sonographic features. It aims to serve as a practical and ready-to-use guide for clinicians planning ultrasound-guided interventions for lateral elbow pain.
Article
Sport Sciences
B. E. N. J. A. M. I. N. STAEDLE, O. L. I. V. I. E. R. SEYNNES, G. U. I. D. O. LAPS, F. A. B. I. A. N. GOELL, GERT-PETER BRUEGGEMANN, K. I. R. S. T. E. N. ALBRACHT
Summary: The study found that in ATR patients, the affected side had a longer, larger, and stiffer gastrocnemius medialis tendon, shorter muscle fascicles, and greater pennation angles, leading to a deficit in plantarflexion moment. Compensatory remodeling in the affected side may not fully restore muscle function.
MEDICINE & SCIENCE IN SPORTS & EXERCISE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ning Lan, Manzhao Hao, Chuanxin M. Niu, He Cui, Yu Wang, Ting Zhang, Peng Fang, Chih-hong Chou
Summary: The seamless integration of prosthetic hands with amputees has been a significant challenge for neuroscientists and neural engineers for decades. Lack of sensory awareness and compliant actuation are key factors preventing modern prosthetic hands from matching human hand dexterity. Recent advancements in restoring sensory feedback indicate a promising step forward in improving neural connectivity, but further research into replicating biological muscle compliance and a biorealist approach to designing prosthetic hands is needed.
Review
Acoustics
Mehtap Balaban, Atilla Hikmet Cilengir, Ilkay S. Idilman
Summary: Over time, the frequency of musculoskeletal system ultrasonography has increased, mainly for evaluating tendon disorders. The superficial location of tendons makes ultrasound the most suitable diagnostic tool, with advantages of low cost, easy accessibility, rapidity, and repeatability.
JOURNAL OF ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Dermatology
Hyeon-Jung Koo, Hyewon Hu, Wooram Kim, Ji-Soo Kim, Hee-Jin Kim, Kyu-Ho Yi
Summary: This study presents nine cases of masseteric fibrosis caused by repeated botulinum neurotoxin injections with ultrasonographic analysis of fibrosis degree and location.
JOURNAL OF COSMETIC DERMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Pediatrics
Ragab K. Elnaggar, Mohammed S. Alghamdi, Aqeel M. Alenazi, Mshari Alghadier, Mustafa Z. Mahmoud, Abbas Elbakry A. Elsayed, Ismail Abdelfattah M. Hassan, Asmaa A. Abonour
Summary: This study investigated the effects of plyometric exercise on the mechanics and morphometrics of the plantar flexor musculotendinous unit in children with unilateral cerebral palsy. The results showed that plyometric exercise induced significant adaptations within the musculotendinous unit, improving muscular efficiency and optimizing physical/functional performance.
Editorial Material
Medicine, General & Internal
Ying-Chun Chen, Wei-Ting Wu, Kamal Mezian, Vincenzo Ricci, Levent Ozcakar, Ke-Vin Chang
Summary: This report presents a case of wrist-tendon rupture caused by inadvertent intratendinous corticosteroid injection. A 67-year-old woman experienced difficulty in extending her left-thumb interphalangeal joint after a palpation-guided local corticosteroid injection. Diagnostic tests confirmed the diagnosis of complete extensor pollicis longus (EPL) rupture, showing hyperechoic tissues at the site of EPL tendon and an atrophic EPL muscle stump.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Iris Sachet, Niels Peter Brochner Nygaard, Gael Guilhem, Francois Hug, Sylvain Dorel
Summary: This study aimed to determine the relationship between lower-limb muscle strength capacity and torque generation in sprint cycling for male and female world-class cyclists. The results showed that isokinetic torques had stronger correlations with cycling torque than isometric torques, regardless of body position. In males, knee extension and hip flexion torques were key predictors of cycling torque, while in females, knee extension and hip flexion torques accounted for the majority of the variance in cycling torque.
SPORTS BIOMECHANICS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Francois Hug, Simon Avrillon, Aurelie Sarcher, Alessandro Del Vecchio, Dario Farina
Summary: This study used graph theory to extract networks of motor neurons based on their correlated activity and identified the existence of common inputs among the motor neurons. The findings suggest that movements are controlled through small groups of motor neurons with common inputs, which do not necessarily correspond to muscle anatomy. This research provides a new neural framework for understanding the structure of common inputs to motor neurons.
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2023)
Article
Physiology
Jeroen Aeles, Aurelie Sarcher, Francois Hug
Summary: This study investigated the anatomical structure and functional role of the human soleus muscle. It was found that the common synaptic input between motor units innervating the medial and lateral posterior soleus compartments was not different from that within each individual compartment, which contradicts previous findings in finger muscles.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Eduardo Martinez-Valdes, Roger M. Enoka, Ales Holobar, Kevin McGill, Dario Farina, Manuela Besomi, Francois Hug, Deborah Falla, Richard G. Carson, Edward A. Clancy, Catherine Disselhorst-Klug, Jaap H. van Dieen, Kylie Tucker, Simon Gandevia, Madeleine Lowery, Karen Sogaard, Thor Besier, Roberto Merletti, Matthew C. Kiernan, John C. Rothwell, Eric Perreault, Paul W. Hodges
Summary: The analysis of single motor unit (SMU) activity is crucial for understanding the neural strategies controlling muscle force. Traditionally, this analysis has been done invasively through intramuscular electromyography (EMG), but recent advances in signal processing techniques have enabled the identification of SMU activity in high-density surface electromyography (HDsEMG) recordings.
JOURNAL OF ELECTROMYOGRAPHY AND KINESIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Yue Wen, Sangjoon J. Kim, Simon Avrillon, Jackson T. Levine, Francois Hug, Jose L. Pons
Summary: In this study, a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) framework was proposed for neural drive estimation. The deep CNN can be applied without retraining to different muscles, sessions, and participants, showing potential for neural-machine interfaces.
JOURNAL OF NEURAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Francois Hug, Simon Avrillon, Jaime Ibanez, Dario Farina
Summary: This review proposes a new conceptual framework for the neural control of movement, which combines the concepts of common input to motor neurons and modular control, while considering the constraints imposed by recruitment order. The article analyzes various scales of motor control and offers a unified approach to explain apparently divergent observations.
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2023)
Article
Physiology
Louise Tier, Sauro E. Salomoni, Francois Hug, Manuela Besomi, Paul W. Hodges
Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate the coordination strategies between back muscles during a tightly constrained isometric trunk extension task. The results showed substantial variations in coordination within and between individuals, and changes in coordination after brief exposure to muscle activation feedback. These findings highlight the highly flexible control of back muscles.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Physiology
Raphael Hamard, Jeroen Aeles, Simon Avrillon, Taylor J. M. Dick, Francois Hug
Summary: This study aimed to investigate whether the neural control of the biarticular gastrocnemius medialis (GM) and lateralis (GL) muscles is joint-specific. The results showed that there was no difference in the distribution of EMG amplitude and motor unit activity between knee flexion and ankle plantar flexion tasks. The level of common synaptic input between GM and GL motor units was also similar across the two tasks. These findings suggest that the neural control of the GM and GL muscles is similar irrespective of the joint action.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Physiology
Nicole Y. Kelp, Christofer J. Clemente, Kylie Tucker, Francois Hug, Sabrina Pinel, Taylor J. M. Dick
Summary: Muscle contraction causes bulging and shape changes, which are influenced by internal muscle properties and contractile forces. The internal muscle properties play an important role in shaping and gearing, especially during high-force contractions.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Alessandro Del Vecchio, Carina Marconi Germer, Thomas M. Kinfe, Stefano Nuccio, Francois Hug, Bjoern Eskofier, Dario Farina, Roger M. Enoka
Summary: The purpose of this study was to identify the low-dimensional latent components, called motor unit modes, underlying the discharge rates of motor units in knee extensors and hand muscles during submaximal isometric contractions. Factor analysis identified two independent motor unit modes that captured most of the covariance of the motor unit discharge rates. The distribution of motor unit modes was different between hand and knee muscles, with a continuous distribution found for the knee muscles.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Acoustics
Antoine Frouin, Hugo Guenanten, Guillaume Le Sant, Lilian Lacourpaille, Martin Liebard, Aurelie Sarcher, Peter J. McNair, Richard Ellis, Antoine Nordez
Summary: This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of 3-D ultrasound in estimating muscle and tendon volume. The results showed that 3-D ultrasound can provide valid and reliable measurements of hamstring muscle and tendon volumes, which could potentially be used in strengthening interventions and clinical settings.
ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stefan Catheline
Summary: The starting point of this manuscript is classical rigid body rotation, which violates the principles of relativity due to infinite speed at infinite distance from the rotation center. To solve this problem, a phenomenological circle-based construction using Euclidean trigonometry is introduced: relativistic rigid body rotation. The physical Eulerian acceleration implied by this geometrical construction establishes links with Maxwell's equation and Lense-Thirring effect. Importantly, relativistic rigid body rotation is shown to be compatible with Lorentz transformation and provides new geometric interpretations of time and space intervals.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Orthopedics
Marion Crouzier, Francois Hug, Frances T. Sheehan, Natalie J. Collins, Kay Crossley, Kylie Tucker
Summary: This study aimed to determine whether there is a difference in the torque distribution between the vastus medialis and vastus lateralis in adolescents with and without patellofemoral pain. The results showed that there was no decreased contribution of the vastus medialis to knee extension torque in adolescents with patellofemoral pain compared to controls.
ORTHOPAEDIC JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Jackson Levine, Simon Avrillon, Dario Farina, Francois Hug, Jose L. Pons
Summary: Recent studies suggest that the nervous system generates movements by controlling groups of motor neurons that do not always align with muscle anatomy. This study aimed to determine whether these motor neuron synergies are consistent across tasks with different mechanical constraints. The results show that principal component analysis and cross-correlation can accurately identify common inputs and separate motor neurons that receive or do not receive these inputs.
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Yue Wen, Sangjoon J. Kim, Simon Avrillon, Jackson T. Levine, Francois Hug, Jose L. Pons
Summary: This study proposes a novel approach using a deep convolutional neural network to estimate the neural drive. The deep CNN can identify the cumulative spike train through general features of motor unit action potentials, allowing for generalization across different contraction tasks. The results show that the deep CNN provides accurate estimations of the cumulative spike train with low root-mean-square error.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON NEURAL SYSTEMS AND REHABILITATION ENGINEERING
(2022)