In slowly progressive conditions, such as motor neurone disease (MND), 50-80% of motor units may be lost before weakness becomes clinically apparent. Despite this, maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) has been reported as a clinically useful, reliable, and reproducible measure for monitoring disease progression in MND. We performed a study on a group of asymptomatic subjects that show...

PURPOSE To analyze possible correlations between the electrical activity of masseter and temporal muscles, Bite Force (BF), and Morphological Facial Indices (MFI). METHODS The study involved 43 young adults, both genders, 18 to 37 years old. The individuals were submitted to: face measurement to calculate MFI; Masseter and Temporal Surface Electromyography (sEMG) and BF measurements on right ...

Freehand three-dimensional ultrasound (3DUS) was used to investigate longitudinal and biaxial transverse deformation and rotation of the free Achilles tendon in vivo during a voluntary submaximal isometric muscle contraction. Participants (n = 8) were scanned at rest and during a 70% maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of the plantarflexors. Ultrasound images were manually digitized ...

The purpose of this study was to correlate the trochlear shape and patellar tilt angle and lateral patellar displacement at rest and maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) exercises during open (OKC) and closed kinetic chain (CKC) in subjects with and without anterior knee pain. Subjects were all women, 20 who were clinically healthy and 19 diagnosed with anterior knee pain. All subject...

This study examined the effectiveness of a functional hamstring training exercise, the razor curl on conditioning the hamstring and gluteal musculature. Eight healthy, female intercollegiate athletes participated (mean age 20.8 +/- 3.9 years; mean height, 177.8 +/- 10.9 cm; mean weight, 67.3 +/- 9.9 kg). Electromyographic (EMG) data were collected on the following muscles: medial hamstring (sem...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Neuromuscular electrical stimulation is used by physical therapists to improve muscle performance. Optimal forms of stimulation settings are yet to be determined, as are possible sex-related differences in responsiveness to electrical stimulation. The objectives of the study were: (1) to compare the ability of 3 different waveforms to generate isometric contractions of th...

Nautilus Machine (NM) and Elastic Resistance (ER) have gained considerable popularity among athletes and recreational lifters seeking to increase muscle strength. However, there is controversy concerning the use of ER for increasing muscle hypertrophy and strength among healthy-trained individuals. The aim of the study was to compare the effect of repeated near maximal contractions by ER/NM on ...

Introduction Gluteus Maximus (GMax) and Gluteus Medius (GMed) muscles are commonly weakened in hip osteoarthritis (OA), and functional weight-bearing (WB) exercises are frequently prescribed for gluteal strengthening. Muscle activity as an indicator of muscle recruitment can be measured using electromyography (EMG), with recruitment of >45% maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) require...

Background: Field-based tests using portable devices are extremely helpful to assist physicians and coaches in the assessment of athletes’ muscle strength for injury risk screening. The aim this study was investigate reliability a field-based test assess unilateral hamstring quadriceps isometric nearly extended position (30° knee flexion) football players. Methods: Nineteen male players complet...