Curvature of gastrocnemius muscle fascicles as function of muscle-tendon complex length and contraction in humans
Heieis J, Böcker J, D'Angelo O, Mittag U, Albracht K, Schönau E, Meyer A, Voigtmann T, Rittweger J (2023)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2023
Journal
Book Volume: 11
Pages Range: e15739-
Journal Issue: 11
DOI: 10.14814/phy2.15739
Abstract
It has been shown that muscle fascicle curvature increases with increasing contraction level and decreasing muscle-tendon complex length. The analyses were done with limited examination windows concerning contraction level, muscle-tendon complex length, and/or intramuscular position of ultrasound imaging. With this study we aimed to investigate the correlation between fascicle arching and contraction, muscle-tendon complex length and their associated architectural parameters in gastrocnemius muscles to develop hypotheses concerning the fundamental mechanism of fascicle curving. Twelve participants were tested in five different positions (90°/105°*, 90°/90°*, 135°/90°*, 170°/90°*, and 170°/75°*; *knee/ankle angle). They performed isometric contractions at four different contraction levels (5%, 25%, 50%, and 75% of maximum voluntary contraction) in each position. Panoramic ultrasound images of gastrocnemius muscles were collected at rest and during constant contraction. Aponeuroses and fascicles were tracked in all ultrasound images and the parameters fascicle curvature, muscle-tendon complex strain, contraction level, pennation angle, fascicle length, fascicle strain, intramuscular position, sex and age group were analyzed by linear mixed effect models. Mean fascicle curvature of the medial gastrocnemius increased with contraction level (+5 m-1 from 0% to 100%; p = 0.006). Muscle-tendon complex length had no significant impact on mean fascicle curvature. Mean pennation angle (2.2 m-1 per 10°; p < 0.001), inverse mean fascicle length (20 m-1 per cm-1 ; p = 0.003), and mean fascicle strain (-0.07 m-1 per +10%; p = 0.004) correlated with mean fascicle curvature. Evidence has also been found for intermuscular, intramuscular, and sex-specific intramuscular differences of fascicle curving. Pennation angle and the inverse fascicle length show the highest predictive capacities for fascicle curving. Due to the strong correlations between pennation angle and fascicle curvature and the intramuscular pattern of curving we suggest for future studies to examine correlations between fascicle curvature and intramuscular fluid pressure.
Authors with CRIS profile
Involved external institutions
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR) / German Aerospace Center
Germany (DE)
Fachhochschule Aachen - Aachen University of Applied Sciences
Germany (DE)
Universitätsklinikum Köln
Germany (DE)
Germany (DE)
Fachhochschule Aachen - Aachen University of Applied Sciences
Germany (DE)
Universitätsklinikum Köln
Germany (DE)
How to cite
APA:
Heieis, J., Böcker, J., D'Angelo, O., Mittag, U., Albracht, K., Schönau, E.,... Rittweger, J. (2023). Curvature of gastrocnemius muscle fascicles as function of muscle-tendon complex length and contraction in humans. Physiological Reports, 11(11), e15739-. https://dx.doi.org/10.14814/phy2.15739
MLA:
Heieis, Jule, et al. "Curvature of gastrocnemius muscle fascicles as function of muscle-tendon complex length and contraction in humans." Physiological Reports 11.11 (2023): e15739-.
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