Residual force enhancement in human skeletal muscles:A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective:We reviewed and appraised the existing evidence of in vivo manifestations of residual force enhancement in human skeletal muscles and assessed,through a meta-analysis,the effect of an immediate history of eccentric contraction on the subsequent torque capacity of voluntary and electrically evoked muscle contractions.Methods:Our search was conducted from database inception to May 2020.Descriptive information was extracted from,and quality was assessed for,45 studies.Meta-analyses and metaregressions were used to analyze residual torque enhancement and its dependence on the angular amplitude of the preceding eccentric contraction.Results:Procedures varied across studies with regards to muscle group tested,angular stretch amplitude,randomization of contractions,time window analyzed,and verbal command.Torque capacity in isometric(constant muscle tendon unit length and joint angle)contractions preceded by an eccentric contraction was typically greater compared to purely isometric contractions,and this effect was greater for electrically evoked muscle contractions than voluntary contractions.Residual torque enhancement differed across muscle groups for the voluntary contractions,with a significant enhancement in torque observed for the adductor pollicis,ankle dorsiflexors,ankle plantar flexors,and knee extensors,but not for the elbow and knee flexors.Meta-regressions revealed that the angular amplitude of the eccentric contraction(normalized to the respective joints full range of motion)was not associated with the residual torque enhancement observed.Conclusion:There is evidence of residual torque enhancement for most,but not all,muscle groups,and residual torque enhancement is greater for electrically evoked than for voluntary contractions.Contrary to our hypothesis,and contrary to generally accepted findings on isolated muscle preparations,residual torque enhancement in voluntary and electrically evoked contractions does not seem to depend on the angular amplitude of the preceding eccentric contraction.

Nonlinearity of muscle stiffness

In this letter, a comparison between three types （two linear and one nonlinear） of models of skeletal muscle stiffness is shown. Results are compared with experimental data for biceps brachii in the case of muscle stretching and with the Hill equation for a biological muscle. It is shown that results for nonlinear stiffness model in case of length-force relationship fits to the experimental data.

The Effects of Ground and Treadmill Running on Energy Metabolism and Muscle Contractile Properties:A Randomized Cross-Over Study

Purpose This study aimed to compare the effects of ground and treadmill running on energy metabolism and muscle con-tractile properties,providing a basis for the general public to choose running venues.Methods Ten male college students(age,20.10±1.53 years;height,176.20±5.49 cm;weight,72.14±8.25 kg;body fat percent,12.41%±4.65%)were recruited in this study.Energy expenditure(EE)was measured using the accelerometer(GT9X)combined with specific estimation equations.Average heart rate(HR)was measured using a heart rate band(Polar).Muscle contractile properties were assessed by measuring muscle displacement(Dm)and contraction velocity(Vc)using tensiomyography(TMG-S1).Blood glucose(Glu)and lactate(Lac)were measured by portable devices(eB-G and Lactate Scout).The running speed was 9 km/h and the duration was 25 min.Two-way ANOVA(protocol×time)was used to analyze the effect of running protocols on energy metabolism and muscle contractile properties.Results EE of treadmill running was significantly higher than EE of ground running(protocol main effect,P<0.001),and HR of treadmill running was significantly higher than that of ground running in the first testing time(protocol simple effect,P=0.026;protocol×time interaction P=0.043).The decrease in Dm of the rectus femoris after treadmill running was significantly higher than that of ground running(protocol main effect,P=0.009).The interaction of different running protocols and testing times on Lac was significant(P=0.025),but all results of the simple effects analysis were not statisti-cally significant(P>0.05).Conclusion Our study found a difference in energy expenditure between treadmill and ground running at 9 km/h with duration of 25 min.In addition,treadmills are more likely to cause a decrease in muscle displacement distance of the rectus femoris measured after exercise than ground running.Future studies are needed to further investigate whether the differences are induced by internal metabolism or the environmental conditions of running.