A recent study claimed that botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) injection into the calf muscle of cerebral palsy (CP) children did not change the intrinsic stiffness. Contrary to this recent report, in our case, decreased muscle spasticity, which was measured using a modified Ashworth scale, and increased Gross Motor Function Measure score were demonstrated at 4 weeks after intensive rehabilitation treat...

AIMS To investigate differential muscle atrophy during bed-rest, the impact of a high-intensity concentric-eccentric (flywheel) resistance exercise countermeasure and muscle recovery after bed-rest. METHODS Twenty-five healthy male subjects underwent 90 dayshead-down tilt bed-rest. Volume of individual lower-limb muscles was measured via MRI before, twice during and four times up to 1 year af...

The present study was designed to explore how the interaction between the fascicles and tendinous tissues is involved in storage and utilization of elastic energy during human walking. Eight male subjects walked with a natural cadence (1.4 +/- 0.1 m/s) on a 10-m-long force plate system. In vivo techniques were employed to record the Achilles tendon force and to scan real-time fascicle lengths f...

OBJECTIVES To describe clinical, radiographic, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in 16 dogs diagnosed with gastrocnemius musculotendinopathy. METHODS Retrospective evaluation of medical records, radiographs, and MRI results, as well as follow-up completed by telephone questionnaire. RESULTS Most dogs had chronic hindlimb lameness with no history of trauma or athletic activities....

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is present in some spinal cord motoneurons and at neuromuscular junctions in skeletal muscle. We previously reported increased numbers of CGRP-positive (CGRP+) motoneurons supplying hindlimb extensors after downhill exercise (Homonko DA and Theriault E, Inter J Sport Med 18: 1-7, 1997). The present study identifies the responding population with respect to...

INTRODUCTION The primary objectives of this study were to evaluate contractile and non-contractile content of lower leg muscles of boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and determine the relationships between non-contractile content and functional abilities. METHODS Lower leg muscles of thirty-two boys with DMD and sixteen age matched unaffected controls were imaged. Non-contractile con...

Introduction Gastrocnemius is the most superficial muscle of the posterior crural region. It arises by two tendinous heads from the femur. The lateral head originates from the lateral surface of the lateral condyle and the medial head originates from a rough area on the popliteal surface above the medial condyle. The lateral head frequently contains a small sesamoid bone, the fabella. The media...

1 of 1 DESCRIPTION Our patient is a girl with pantothenate kinase associated neurodegeneration 1 and autosomal recessive transmission. She has marked contractions of the lower facial muscles and severe contraction of calf muscles, with both feet in a crooked position, more evident on the right side. Since infancy, she walked abnormally and was unstable when standing, due to progressive hyperton...