The influence of repetitive dynamic fatiguing contractions on the neuromuscular characteristics of the human triceps surae was investigated in 10 subjects. The load was 50% of the torque produced during a maximal voluntary contraction, and the exercise ended when the ankle range of motion declined to 50% of control. The maximal torque of the triceps surae and the electromyographic (EMG) activit...

This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that group III and IV afferents with endings in skeletal muscle signal the distension of the peripheral vascular network. The responses of these slowly conducting afferents to pharmacologically induced vasodilation and to acute obstruction of the venous drainage of the hindlimbs were studied in barbiturate-anesthetized cats. Afferent impulses ari...

31 Plantar flexor series elasticity can be used to dissociate muscle-fascicle and 32 muscle-tendon behaviour and, therefore, afferent feedback during human walking. We 33 used electromyography (EMG) and high speed ultrasonography concomitantly to 34 monitor muscle activity and muscle fascicle behaviour in nineteen healthy volunteers 35 as they walked across a platform. On random trials, the pla...

The front row of a rugby union scrum consists of three players. The loose head prop, hooker and tight head prop. The objective of this study was to determine if known biomechanical risk factors for triceps surae muscle injury are exhibited in the lower limb of front row players during contested scrummaging. Eleven high performance front row rugby union players were landmarked bilaterally at the...

The aim of this study was to examine the collision responsible for the volitional V-wave evoked by supramaximal electrical stimulation of the motor nerve during voluntary contraction. V-wave was conditioned by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the motor cortex at several inter-stimuli intervals (ISI) during weak voluntary plantar flexions (n = 10) and at rest for flexor carpi radiali...

OBJECTIVE With respect to increasing ankle dorsiflexion range of motion, our objective was to examine the influence, if any, of preheating the triceps surae with ultrasound before stretching. DESIGN AND SETTING Subjects were assigned to either group A (ultrasound and stretch) or group B (stretch alone). Group A received 3-MHz ultrasound (1.5 W/cm(2), 4 times effective radiating area) for 7 mi...

We compared the effect of the number of weekly repetitions of a static stretching program on the flexibility, hamstring tightness and electromyographic activity of the hamstring and of the triceps surae muscles. Thirty-one healthy subjects with hamstring tightness, defined as the inability to perform total knee extension, and shortened triceps surae, defined by a tibiotarsal angle wider than 90...