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Measuring muscle forces in vivo is invasive and consequently indirect methods e.g., electromyography (EMG) are used in estimating muscular force production. The aim of the present paper was to examine what kind of effect the disruption of the physiological signal caused by the innervation zone has in predicting the force/torque output from surface EMG. Twelve men (age 26 (SD ±3)years; height 179 (±6)cm; body mass 73 (±6)kg) volunteered as subjects. They were asked to perform maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVC) in elbow flexion, and submaximal contractions at 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50% and 75% of the recorded MVC. EMG was measured from biceps brachii muscle with an electrode grid of 5 columns×13 rows. Force-EMG relationships were determined from individual channels and as the global mean value. The relationship was deemed inconsistent if EMG value did not increase in successive force levels. Root mean squared errors were calculated for 3rd order polynomial fits. All subjects had at least one (4-52) inconsistent channel. Two subjects had inconsistent relationship calculated from the global mean. The mean root mean squared error calculated using leave one out method for the fits of the individual channels (0.33±0.17) was higher (P0.001) than the error for the global mean fit (0.16±0.08). It seems that the disruption of the physiological signal caused by the innervation zone affects the consistency of the force-EMG relationship on single bipolar channel level. Multichannel EMG recordings used for predicting force overcame this disruption.

This paper presents a simulation study that was conducted to investigate whether the stereotyped motion pattern observed in human sub-maximal jumping can be interpreted from the perspective of energy expenditure. Human sub-maximal vertical countermovement jumps were compared to jumps simulated with a forward dynamic musculo-skeletal model. This model consisted of four interconnected rigid segments, actuated by six Hill-type muscle actuators. The only independent input of the model was the stimulation of muscles as a function of time. This input was optimized using an objective function, in which targeting a specific sub-maximal height value was combined with minimizing the amount of muscle work produced. The characteristic changes in motion pattern observed in humans jumping to different target heights were reproduced by the model. As the target height was lowered, two major changes occurred in the motion pattern. First, the countermovement amplitude was reduced; this helped to save energy because of reduced dissipation and regeneration of energy in the contractile elements. Second, the contribution of rotation of the heavy proximal segments of the lower limbs to the vertical velocity of the centre of gravity at take-off was less; this helped to save energy because of reduced ineffective rotational energies at take-off. The simulations also revealed that, with the observed movement adaptations, muscle work was reduced through improved relative use of the muscle's elastic properties in sub-maximal jumping. According to the results of the simulations, the stereotyped motion pattern observed in sub-maximal jumping is consistent with the idea that in sub-maximal jumping, subjects are trying to achieve the targeted jump height with minimal energy expenditure. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The specific aim of this paper is to review the effects of epimuscular myofascial force transmission on muscular mechanics and present some new results on finite element modeling of non-isolated aponeurotomized muscle in order to discuss the dependency of mechanics of spastic muscle, as well as surgery for restoration of function on such force transmission. The etiology of the effects of spasticity on muscular mechanics is not fully understood. Clinically, such effects feature typically a limited joint range of motion, which at the muscle level must originate from altered muscle length-force characteristics, in particular a limited muscle length range of force exertion. In studies performed to understand what is different in spastic muscle and what the effects of remedial surgery are, muscle is considered as being independent of its surroundings. Conceivably, this is because the classical approach in muscle mechanics is built on experimenting with dissected muscles. Certainly, such approach allowed improving our understanding of fundamental muscle physiology yet it yielded implicitly a narrow point of view of considering muscle length-force characteristics as a fixed property of the muscle itself. However, within its context of its intact connective tissue surroundings (the in vivo condition) muscle is not an isolated and independent entity. Instead, collagenous linkages between epimysia of adjacent muscles provide direct intermuscular connections, and structures such as the neurovascular tracts provide indirect intermuscular connections. Moreover, compartmental boundaries (e.g., intermuscular septa, interosseal membranes, periost and compartmental fascia) are continuous with neurovascular tracts and connect muscular and non-muscular tissues at several locations additional to the tendon origins and insertions. Epimuscular myofascial force transmission occurring via this integral system of connections has major effects on muscular mechanics including substantial proximo-distal force differences, sizable changes in the determinants of muscle length-force characteristics (e.g. a condition dependent shift in muscle optimum length to a different length or variable muscle optimal force) explained by major serial and parallel distributions of sarcomere lengths. Therefore, due to epimuscular myofascial force transmission, muscle length-force characteristics are variable and muscle length range of force exertion cannot be considered as a fixed property of the muscle. The findings reviewed presently show that acutely, the mechanical mechanisms manipulated in remedial surgery are dominated by epimuscular myofascial force transmission. Conceivably, this is also true for the mechanism of adaptation during and after recovery from surgery. Moreover, stiffened epimuscular connections and therefore a stiffened integral system of intra- and epimuscular myofascial force transmission are indicated to affect the properties of spastic muscle. We suggest that important advancements in our present understanding of such properties, variability in the outcome of surgery and considerable recurrence of the impeded function after recovery cannot be made without taking into account the effects of epimuscular myofascial force transmission. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The present study aimed at exploring the statistical power of ergonomic intervention studies using electromyography (EMG) from the upper trapezius muscle. Data from a previous study of cyclic assembly work were reanalyzed with respect to exposure variability between subjects, between days, and within days. On basis of this information, the precision and power of different data collection strategies were explored. A sampling strategy comprising four registrations of about two min each (i.e. two work cycles) for one day per subject resulted in coefficients of variation between subjects on the 10-, 50-, and 90-APDF-percentiles of 0.44, 0.31, and 0.29, respectively. The corresponding necessary numbers of subjects in a study aiming at detecting a 20% exposure difference between two independent groups of equal size were 154, 78, and 68, respectively (p≤0.05, power 0.80). Multiple measurement days per subject would improve power, but only to a marginal extent beyond 4 days of recording. Increasing the number of recordings per day would have minor effects. Bootstrap resampling of the data set revealed that estimates of variability and power were associated with considerable uncertainty. The present results in combination with an overview of other occupational studies showed that common-size investigations using trapezius EMG percentiles are at great risk of suffering from insufficient statistical power, even if the expected intervention effect is substantial. The paper suggests a procedure of how to retrieve and use exposure variability information as an aid when studies are planned, and how to allocate measurements efficiently.

The purpose of this paper is to review exemplary aspects of different views of skeletal muscle characteristics. A classical view of muscle characteristics plays a very important role in modelling of muscles and movement. However, it often also pervades concepts on which our understanding of muscle function is based. In this view length effects, velocity effects and effects of degrees of activation and recruitment are distinguished and, often implicitly, assumed to be independent effects. It will be illustrated that using the classical approach many valuable things may be learned about muscle function and adaptation. At the same time we should realize that such a classical approach is too limited for use in generating knowledge about properties of muscles during daily use. The use of scaling of force to estimate muscular properties during submaximal activity on the basis of properties during maximal activation is shown to be very inadequate. An alternative view is described and particular examples are provided of changes in length-force characteristics as a consequence of submaximal activation, previous length change, as well as the effect of short-term histories of these variables. In addition, effects of inhomogeneities of muscle in morphology as well as physiological properties are considered. It is concluded that length-velocity-force characteristics are not unique properties of a muscle, and that these characteristics are not only strongly influenced by actual effects of recruitment, firing frequency, shortening performed and actual velocity of shortening but also by the short time history of these factors. Therefore, length, velocity and activation cannot be considered as independent determinants of muscle functioning. It is also shown that we are confronted with many indications of physiological individuality regarding these phenomena.

Single muscle fibre action potentials (SFAPs) are considered to be functions of a bioelectrical source and electrical conductivity parameters of the medium. In most model studies SFAPs are computed as a convolution of the bioelectrical source with a transfer function. Calculated peak-to-peak amplitudes of SFAPs decrease with increasing recording distances. In this paper an experimental validation of model results is presented. Experiments were carried out on the m. extensor digitorum longus (EDL) of the rat. Using a method including fluorescent labelling of the active fibre, the distance between the active fibre and the recording electrode was derived. With another method, the decline of the peak-to-peak amplitude of SFAPs detected along a multi-electrode was obtained. With both experimental methods, in general peak-to-peak amplitudes of SFAPs decreased with increasing recording distances, as was found in model results with present volume conduction theory. However, this behaviour was not found in all experiments. The rate of decline of the peak-to-peak amplitudes with recording distance was always less than in models.