PURPOSE To examine whether normalized quadriceps and hamstring strength would predict quadriceps and hamstring muscle activation amplitudes and whether these neuromuscular factors would predict knee kinematics and kinetics during a drop jump task. METHODS Thirty-nine females and 39 males were measured for isometric quadriceps and hamstring strength and were instrumented to obtain surface elec...

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes, also known non-insulin-dependent diabetes, is the most prevalent type of the disease and involves defects in the secretion and action of insulin. The aim of the proposed study is to evaluate the efficacy of pre-exercise low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on muscle performance of the quadriceps femoris in individuals with type 2 diabetes. METHODS/DESIGN A double-blind, ...

BACKGROUND Complaints of peripheral muscle weakness are quite common in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). It is likely that the muscle impairments may reduce the patients' exercise performance, which in turn may decrease their functional capacity and exert a direct impact on their quality of life. OBJECTIVES To assess the peripheral and respiratory muscle strength in individuals with SS...

Verges S, Maffiuletti NA, Kerherve H, Decorte N, Wuyam B, Millet GY. Comparison of electrical and magnetic stimulations to assess quadriceps muscle function: electrical and magnetic quadriceps stimulations. J Appl Physiol 106: 701–710, 2009. First published 28 August 2008; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.01051.2007.—This study aimed to 1) compare electrical and magnetic stimulations for quadriceps mus...

In sports medicine, there is increasing interest in quantifying the elastic properties of skeletal muscle, especially during extreme muscular stimulation, to improve our understanding of the impact of alterations in skeletal muscle stiffness on resulting pain or injuries, as well as the mechanisms underlying the relationships between these parameters. Our main objective was to determine whether...

The goals of this study were to determine if the muscle contributions to vertical and fore-aft acceleration of the mass center differ between crouch gait and unimpaired gait and if these muscle contributions change with crouch severity. Examining muscle contributions to mass center acceleration provides insight into the roles of individual muscles during gait and can provide guidance for treatm...

BACKGROUND Several studies have reported the effects of whole body vibration (WBV) training on muscle strength. This systematic review investigates the current evidence regarding the effects of WBV training on quadriceps muscle strength in individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA). DATA SOURCES We searched PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, PEDro, and Science citation index for research articles...

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of combined application of progressive resistance training and Russian electrical stimulation on quadriceps femoris muscle strength in elderly women with osteoarthritis of the knee. [Subjects] Thirty women over 65 years of age diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis participated in the present study. The subjects were randomly assigned t...