The passive stretching response of the human biceps femoris long head muscle varies regionally

The in vivo passive behavior of biceps femoris long head (BFlh) across different regions remains poorly understood despite its relevance for improving localized muscle force estimation in musculoskeletal models and understanding the mechanisms of hamstring strain injury. We investigated the region-specific passive stretch response of BFlh during passive knee extension in 20 healthy participants (17 males, 3 females). Using shear wave elastography, the shear modulus of BFlh was assessed at proximal, middle, and distal regions at 5° increments from 90° to 0° of knee flexion. A piecewise exponential model was fitted to the shear modulus-knee joint angle relationship to determine the slack angle (i.e., the knee joint angle at which the shear modulus began to increase), slack shear modulus (i.e., shear modulus before slack angle), and the exponential increase beyond slack angle (α). Slack angle differed significantly across regions (p = 0.040), occurring at a higher knee flexion angle in the distal (63.8 ± 14.1°) compared to proximal (52.8 ± 10.6°, p = 0.031) region. The distal region (0.0123 ± 0.0069) had a larger α than the proximal region (0.0080 ± 0.0048, p = 0.039), but this effect was not observed when assessing only males (p = 0.135). No significant regional differences were observed for slack shear modulus. Overall, the passive stretch response of BFlh to knee extension varies across regions, with slack angle at more flexed knee angles and steeper increase in shear modulus in the distal than the proximal region, though the latter was evident only when including female participants. However, given the low number of female participants, this finding should be interpreted with caution, and future studies including larger female cohorts are warranted. These results have important implications for BFlh muscle function, injury risk, and validity of musculoskeletal modeling estimates

Access to Justice: An Empirical Study on the Lived Experiences of Older Immigrants in Finland

Older immigrants can experience access-to-justice barriers due to factors related to their language, health, and ethnicity. This socio-legal study examines older immigrants’ barriers and facilitators of access to justice by exploring the lived experiences of 26 older immigrants living in Finland. The results show that living in a foreign country creates unique vulnerabilities for older immigrants that may restrict their access to justice. Inconsistencies in the provision of information about rights and available services can create a unique vulnerability for older immigrants, resulting in difficulties navigating an unfamiliar digital services system. Older immigrants from Middle Eastern backgrounds may be disadvantaged in terms of access to employment due to structural discrimination surrounding foreign names, education and skills. Stringent citizenship requirements can exacerbate older immigrants’ vulnerabilities by limiting their freedom of movement and curbing their access to employment. Help provided by specialised interpreters and social workers can mitigate the effects of older immigrants’ vulnerabilities on their access to social and healthcare services. Social institutions that equip older immigrants with necessary capacities to combat their vulnerabilities can reinforce their access to justice