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International Journal of Environmental... Dec 2021Knee injuries are common among female softball players, and the stability of the lower extremities and the strength of the knee are essential factors for them. The... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of Kinesio Taping with Squat Exercise on the Muscle Activity, Muscle Strength, Muscle Tension, and Dynamic Stability of Softball Players in the Lower Extremities: A Randomized Controlled Study.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Knee injuries are common among female softball players, and the stability of the lower extremities and the strength of the knee are essential factors for them. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Kinesio taping with squat exercise (KTSE) on lower extremity muscle activity, muscle strength, muscle tone, and dynamic stability of softball players.
METHODS
In this study, 40 softball players were randomly assigned to the KTSE group and sham taping with squat exercise (SKTSE) group. All subjects were tested three times a week for 6 weeks, i.e., for a total of 18 times. To evaluate the lower-extremity muscle activity, muscle strength, and muscle tone of the lower extremities, as well as dynamic stability, we used Noraxon Mini DTS, a digital muscular meter from JTech Medical, MyotonPRO, and the side hop test (a clinical evaluation method), respectively. These items were measured before the experiment and 6 weeks after the start of the experiment.
RESULTS
Both groups showed significant differences in lower-extremity muscle activity, muscle strength, muscle tone, and dynamic stability ( < 0.05). After the experiment, significant effects on lower-extremity muscle activity, muscle strength, muscle tone, and dynamic stability were observed in the KTSE group compared with in the SKTSE group ( < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
KTSE did not have a negative effect on all items of the functional performance test. KTSE improved lower-extremity muscle activity, muscle strength, muscle tone, and dynamic stability.
Topics: Baseball; Female; Humans; Lower Extremity; Muscle Strength; Muscle Tonus; Muscles
PubMed: 35010536
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19010276 -
DATSURYOKU Sensor-A Capacitive-Sensor-Based Belt for Predicting Muscle Tension: Preliminary Results.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2021Excessive muscle tension is implicitly caused by inactivity or tension in daily activities, and it results in increased joint stiffness and vibration, and thus, poor...
Excessive muscle tension is implicitly caused by inactivity or tension in daily activities, and it results in increased joint stiffness and vibration, and thus, poor performance, failure, and injury in sports. Therefore, the routine measurement of muscle tension is important. However, a co-contraction observed in excessive muscle tension cannot be easily detected because it does not appear in motion owing to the counteracting muscle tension, and it cannot be measured by conventional motion capture systems. Therefore, we focused on the physiological characteristics of muscle, that is, the increase in muscle belly cross-sectional area during activity and softening during relaxation. Furthermore, we measured muscle tension, especially co-contraction and relaxation, using a DATSURYOKU sensor, which measures the circumference of the applied part. The experiments showed high interclass correlation between muscle activities and circumference across maximal voluntary co-contractions of the thigh muscles and squats. Moreover, the circumference sensor can measure passive muscle deformation that does not appear in muscle activities. Therefore, the DATSURYOKU sensor showed the potential to routinely measure muscle tension and relaxation, thus avoiding the risk of failure and injury owing to excessive muscle tension and can contribute to the realization of preemptive medicine by measuring daily changes.
Topics: Muscle Contraction; Muscle Tonus; Muscle, Skeletal
PubMed: 34640988
DOI: 10.3390/s21196669 -
Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) Jan 2000Ion channels in the plasma membrane of vascular muscle cells that form the walls of resistance arteries and arterioles play a central role in the regulation of vascular... (Review)
Review
Ion channels in the plasma membrane of vascular muscle cells that form the walls of resistance arteries and arterioles play a central role in the regulation of vascular tone. Current evidence indicates that vascular smooth muscle cells express at least 4 different types of K(+) channels, 1 to 2 types of voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels, >/=2 types of Cl(-) channels, store-operated Ca(+) (SOC) channels, and stretch-activated cation (SAC) channels in their plasma membranes, all of which may be involved in the regulation of vascular tone. Calcium influx through voltage-gated Ca(2+), SOC, and SAC channels provides a major source of activator Ca(2+) used by resistance arteries and arterioles. In addition, K(+) and Cl(-) channels and the Ca(2+) channels mentioned previously all are involved in the determination of the membrane potential of these cells. Membrane potential is a key variable that not only regulates Ca(+2) influx through voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels, but also influences release of Ca(2+) from internal stores and Ca(2+)- sensitivity of the contractile apparatus. By controlling Ca(2+) delivery and membrane potential, ion channels are involved in all aspects of the generation and regulation of vascular tone.
Topics: Animals; Calcium Channels; Humans; Muscle Tonus; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular; Potassium Channels; Vascular Resistance; Vasoconstriction
PubMed: 10642294
DOI: 10.1161/01.hyp.35.1.173 -
IEEE Journal of Translational... 2022Quantifying muscle tone is often based on a tester's subjective judgment in clinical settings. There is, however, a lack of suitable tools that can be used to...
OBJECTIVE
Quantifying muscle tone is often based on a tester's subjective judgment in clinical settings. There is, however, a lack of suitable tools that can be used to objectively assess muscle tone. This study thus introduces a reliable, clinically-feasible device, called the Arm Circumference Motor Evaluation System (ACMES), for quantifying the muscle tone of upper limbs without using mechanical torque transducers.
METHODS
While the ACMES conducts continuously passive arm circumduction motions, the voltage and current of the driving motor is transduced into torque values via a least square approximation. A torque sensor and springs with different spring constants were used for the validity and reliability test in the first part of this study. Fifteen healthy adults and two patients who had experienced a stroke participated in the second part, which was a clinical experiment used to examine the test-retest reliability and to explore the inspection differences between healthy and patient participants.
RESULTS
The results showed that the ACMES has high validity (R: ~0.99) and reliability (R: 0.96~0.99). The reliability of the ACMES used on human subjects was acceptable (R: 0.83~0.85). The various muscle tone patterns could be found among healthy and stroke subjects via the ACMES.
CONCLUSION
Clinically, abnormal muscle tone, which seriously affects motion performance, will be found in many diagnoses, such as stroke or cerebral palsy. However, objectively and feasibly measuring abnormal tone in modern clinical settings is still a challenging task. Thus, the ACMES was developed and tested to verify its feasibility as a measurement system for detecting the mechanical torque associated with muscle tone.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Muscle Tonus; Reproducibility of Results; Stroke; Torque; Upper Extremity
PubMed: 34984110
DOI: 10.1109/JTEHM.2021.3136754 -
Neurotherapeutics : the Journal of the... Oct 2020Pediatric movement disorders (PMDs) consist of a heterogeneous group of signs and symptoms caused by numerous neurological diseases. Different neurological disorders in... (Review)
Review
Pediatric movement disorders (PMDs) consist of a heterogeneous group of signs and symptoms caused by numerous neurological diseases. Different neurological disorders in children also share overlapping movement disorders making a diagnosis of the underlying cause of the movement disorder challenging. The similarity of the symptoms across multiple disease types suggests that there may be a final common motor pathway causing the overlapping movement disorders. There are numerous disorders in children associated with disturbances in tone and involuntary movements. This chapter will focus primarily on those disorders that involve abnormalities of tone and other important considerations of pediatric movement disorders. This chapter will address rating scales and goals for treatment and will include a review of symptomatic treatment and, where possible, the treatment of the underlying disease processes. The chapter will review representative disorders, including an inborn error of metabolism, an autoimmune disorder, and a group of neurodegenerative disorders. These examples demonstrate how the disorder's underlying pathophysiology results in a specific approach to the underlying disease and the associated conditions of tone and involuntary movements. Finally, the multiple treatment options for cerebral palsy and considerations of cerebral palsy mimics will be discussed.
Topics: Autoimmune Diseases; Cerebral Palsy; Child; Dyskinesias; Humans; Levodopa; Metabolism, Inborn Errors; Movement Disorders; Muscle Tonus; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Physical Therapy Modalities; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 33410106
DOI: 10.1007/s13311-020-00984-6 -
Journal of Neuroengineering and... Aug 2012Movement disorders after stroke are still captured by clinical gaze and translated to ordinal scores of low resolution. There is a clear need for objective... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Movement disorders after stroke are still captured by clinical gaze and translated to ordinal scores of low resolution. There is a clear need for objective quantification, with outcome measures related to pathophysiological background. Neural and non-neural contributors to joint behavior should be separated using different measurement conditions (tasks) and standardized input signals (force, position and velocity).
METHODS
We reviewed recent literature for the application of biomechanical and/or elektromyographical (EMG) outcome measures under various measurement conditions in clinical research.
RESULTS
Since 2005, 36 articles described the use of biomechanical and/or EMG outcome measures to quantify post-stroke movement disorder. Nineteen of the articles strived to separate neural and non-neural components. Only 6 of the articles measured biomechanical and EMG outcome measures simultaneously, while applying active and passive tasks and multiple velocities.
CONCLUSION
The distinction between neural and non-neural components to separately assess paresis, stiffness and muscle overactivity is not commonplace yet, while a large gap is to be bridged to attain reproducible and comparable results. Pathophysiologically clear concepts, substantiated with a comprehensive and concise measuring protocol will help professionals to identify and treat limiting factors in movement capabilities of post-stroke patients.
Topics: Adult; Biomechanical Phenomena; Electromyography; Female; Fixation, Ocular; Humans; Joints; Male; Movement Disorders; Muscle Tonus; Muscle, Skeletal; Paresis; Range of Motion, Articular; Stroke; Treatment Outcome; Viscosity
PubMed: 22925463
DOI: 10.1186/1743-0003-9-61 -
Journal of Bodywork and Movement... Apr 2022The claim that the effects of kinesiology tape are different depending on the direction of tape application needs to be clearly ascertained. This study aimed to... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
The claim that the effects of kinesiology tape are different depending on the direction of tape application needs to be clearly ascertained. This study aimed to determine the immediate effects of two forearm kinesiology tape applications on muscle tone, stiffness, and elasticity of young individuals. Thirty-nine participants (15 men and 24 women) were randomized (1:1:1) to: the facilitatory group, receiving kinesiology tape applied from origin to insertion; the inhibitory group, receiving kinesiology tape applied from insertion to origin; or, a control group, without any intervention. The mechanical properties - tone, elasticity, and stiffness - of the forearm muscles were measured with a handheld mechanical impulse-based myotonometric device before and 30 min after the kinesiology tape application. Only the application of kinesiology tape from origin to insertion significantly increased muscle tone [16.6 (2.5) to 17.4 (3.5) Hz, p = 0.036], stiffness [318.3 (52) to 355.0 (87) N/m, p = 0.004], and elasticity [0.98 (0.1) to 1.10 (0.1), p = 0.023]. No changes were observed in both inhibitory kinesiology tape and the control group. In conclusion, kinesiology tape application has different effects depending on the direction of the taping application. The facilitatory tapping increased muscle tone, elasticity, and stiffness.
Topics: Athletic Tape; Elasticity; Female; Humans; Male; Muscle Tonus; Muscle, Skeletal
PubMed: 35500968
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2022.01.003 -
Microcirculation (New York, N.Y. : 1994) Jul 2012The endothelium is vital to normal vasoregulation. Although acute vasodilation associated with broad endothelial Ca(2+) elevation is well known, the control and... (Review)
Review
The endothelium is vital to normal vasoregulation. Although acute vasodilation associated with broad endothelial Ca(2+) elevation is well known, the control and targeting of Ca(2+) -dependent signals in the endothelium are poorly understood. Recent studies have revealed localized IP(3) -motivated Ca(2+) events occurring basally along the intima that may provide the fundamental basis for various endothelial influences. Here, we provide an overview of dynamic endothelial Ca(2+) signals and discuss the potential role of these signals in constant endothelial control of arterial tone and the titration of functional responses in vivo. In particular, we focus on the functional architecture contributing to the properties and ultimate impact of these signals, and explore new avenues in evaluating their prevalence and specific modalities in intact tissue. Finally, we discuss spatial and temporal effector recruitment through modification of these inherent signals. It is suggested that endothelial Ca(2+) signaling is a continuum in which the specific framework of store-release components and cellular targets along the endothelium allows for differential modes of Ca(2+) signal expansion and distinctive profiles of effector recruitment. The precise composition and distribution of these inherent components may underlie dynamic endothelial control and specialized functions of different vascular beds.
Topics: Animals; Arteries; Calcium; Calcium Signaling; Endothelium, Vascular; Hemodynamics; Humans; Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate; Muscle Tonus
PubMed: 22443172
DOI: 10.1111/j.1549-8719.2012.00180.x -
Scientific Reports May 2018Joint range of motion (ROM) is an important parameter for athletic performance and muscular injury risk. Nonetheless, a complete description of muscular factors...
Joint range of motion (ROM) is an important parameter for athletic performance and muscular injury risk. Nonetheless, a complete description of muscular factors influencing ROM among individuals and between men and women is lacking. We examined whether passive muscle stiffness (evaluated by angle-specific muscle shear modulus), tolerance to muscle stretch (evaluated by muscle shear modulus at end-ROM), and muscle slack angle of the triceps surae are associated with the individual variability and sex difference in dorsiflexion ROM, using ultrasound shear wave elastography. For men, ROM was negatively correlated to passive muscle stiffness of the medial and lateral gastrocnemius in a tensioned state and positively to tolerance to muscle stretch in the medial gastrocnemius. For women, ROM was only positively correlated to tolerance to muscle stretch in all muscles but not correlated to passive muscle stiffness. Muscle slack angle was not correlated to ROM in men and women. Significant sex differences were observed only for dorsiflexion ROM and passive muscle stiffness in a tensioned state. These findings suggest that muscular factors associated with ROM are different between men and women. Furthermore, the sex difference in dorsiflexion ROM might be attributed partly to that in passive muscle stiffness of plantar flexors.
Topics: Adult; Ankle Joint; Elasticity; Elasticity Imaging Techniques; Female; Humans; Male; Muscle Strength Dynamometer; Muscle Tonus; Muscle, Skeletal; Myalgia; Range of Motion, Articular; Sex Factors; Tendons; Torque; Ultrasonography; Young Adult
PubMed: 29844513
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-26574-3 -
Pain Research & Management 2018Headache is a common problem in the population, which decreases the quality of life and makes everyday functioning difficult. It often coexists with typical symptoms of...
Headache is a common problem in the population, which decreases the quality of life and makes everyday functioning difficult. It often coexists with typical symptoms of temporomandibular disorders. The objective of the study was to clarify whether there is a relationship between the presence of headache in young volunteers and the mastication muscle tone. . Volunteers aged 18 years who underwent general dental examination, clinical evaluation, and examination using the dual-axis diagnostic system Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) form in the Polish language version participated in the study. On the basis of the examination results, these individuals were divided into three groups according to RDC results. A group of healthy individuals (axis I value 0), a group of sick individuals (axis I diagnosis Ia, IIa, or IIIa), and a group of individuals suffering from depression (axis II values 1-3) were singled out. Then, volunteers were divided into two groups: group I reporting headache and group II without any pain. In each of these individuals, the contractile activity of the masseter muscles and anterior temporal muscles was recorded bilaterally as the surface electromyographic activity (sEMG) at rest, during swallowing, and maximum clenching. The activity index ranging between +100 (activity of the masseter muscles only) and -100 (activity of the anterior temporal muscles only) was used to indicate the predominance of activity of the study muscles. . The statistical analysis of data showed that there was a significant relationship between the presence of headache and a change in the mastication muscle tone, expressed as the predominant activity of the temporal muscles, only in the group of sick individuals during maximum clenching. . The diversity of sEMG results implies that a change in the mastication muscle tone is not a direct consequence of headache, but it has to be modified by other factors.
Topics: Adolescent; Electromyography; Female; Headache; Humans; Male; Masseter Muscle; Mastication; Muscle Tonus
PubMed: 30344802
DOI: 10.1155/2018/7381973