The architectural properties of the posterior deltoid muscle and the 3 heads of the triceps were measured using microdissection techniques to determine whether substitution of triceps function by the posterior deltoid is architecturally appropriate. Muscles from 10 fresh cadaver specimens were fixed by high-pressure perfusion using buffered formaldehyde. Muscle architectural properties, includi...

This pilot study aimed to test the potential use of imaging techniques, ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) and magnetic resonance (MRI), to quantify muscle architecture parameters and evaluate, in vivo, structural adaptations of rat lateral gastrocnemius (LG) submitted to chronic stretching protocol with characteristics similar to those used in humans. After 20 daily static stretching sessions, bot...

Musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging can be used to investigate the skeletal muscle structure in terms of architecture (thickness, cross-sectional area, fascicle length and fascicle pennation angle) and texture. Gray-scale analysis is commonly used to characterize transverse scans of the muscle. Gray mean value is used to distinguish between normal and pathologic muscles, but it depends on the im...

Recently, an ultrasound-based elastography technique has been used to measure stiffness (shear modulus) of an active human muscle along the axis of contraction. Using this technique, we explored 1) whether muscle shear modulus, like muscle force, is length dependent; and 2) whether the length dependence of muscle shear modulus is consistent between electrically elicited and voluntary contractio...

This study aimed to determine the within- and between-session reliability of medial gastrocnemius (MG) architecture (e.g. muscle thickness (MT), fascicle length (FL) and pennation angle (PA)), as derived via ultrasonography followed by manual digitization. A single rater recorded three ultrasound images of the relaxed MG muscle belly for both legs of 16 resistance trained males, who were positi...

The study compared changes in intramuscular and surface recordings of EMG amplitude with ultrasound measures of muscle architecture of the elbow flexors during a submaximal isometric contraction. Ten subjects performed a fatiguing contraction to task failure at 20% of maximal voluntary contraction force. EMG activity was recorded in biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis muscles using ...

We hypothesized that muscles crossing the elbow have fundamental differences in their capacity for excursion, force generation, and moment generation due to differences in their architecture, moment arm, and the combination of their architecture and moment arm. Muscle fascicle length, sarcomere length, pennation angle, mass, and tendon displacement with elbow flexion were measured for the major...

Methods Single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (Brazil) ICU. Forty-two patients receiving IMV for 24 to 48 hours who were hospitalized for no longer than 1 week and had no restriction of lower limb movements. Interventions: After randomization, passive cycling exercise for the lower extremities was performed once daily for 20 minutes, at 2...

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between muscle architecture of the triceps brachii (TB) and joint performance during concentric elbow extensions. Twenty-two men performed maximal isometric and concentric elbow extensions against various loads. Joint torque and angular velocity during concentric contractions were measured, and joint power was calculated. Muscle length, ...

The onset of whole muscle hypertrophy in response to overloading is poorly documented. The purpose of this study was to assess the early changes in muscle size and architecture during a 35-day high-intensity resistance training (RT) program. Seven young healthy volunteers performed bilateral leg extension three times per week on a gravity-independent flywheel ergometer. Cross-sectional area (CS...