Hoffmann reflex is increased after 14 days of daily repeated Achilles tendon vibration for the soleus but not for the gastrocnemii muscles

International audienceIn a previous study, Achilles tendon vibrations were enough to improve the triceps surae (TS) activation capacities and also to slightly increase TS Hoffmann reflex (H-reflex) obtained by summing up soleus (Sol) and gastrocnemii (GM and GL) EMGs. The purpose of the present study was to analyze separately Sol and GM or GL reflexes to account for different effects of the vibrations on the reflex excitability of the slow soleus and of the gastrocnemii muscles. A control group (n = 13) and a vibration group (n = 16) were tested in pre-test and post-test conditions. The Achilles tendon vibration program consisted of 1 h of daily vibration (frequency: 50 Hz) applied during 14 days. Maximal Sol, GM and GL H-reflexes, and M-waves were recorded, and their H(max)/M(max) ratios gave the index of reflex excitability. After the vibration protocol, only Sol H(max)/M(max) was enhanced (p < 0.001). The enhanced Sol reflex excitability after vibration is in favor of a decrease in the pre-synaptic inhibition due to the repeated vibrations and the high solicitation of the reflex pathway. Those results of a short period of vibration applied at rest may be limited to the soleus because of its high density in muscle spindles and slow motor units, both structures being very sensitive to vibrations

Effects of repeated Achilles tendon vibration on triceps surae force production

International audienceMany studies reported benefits of whole-body vibration (WBV) on muscle force production. Therefore, WBV may be an important technique for muscle re-education. However vibrating platforms are heavy tools that cannot be easily used by all patients. Thus, we propose to apply vibrations directly to the Achilles tendon at rest with a portable vibrator. We investigated whether 14 days of such a vibration program would enhance triceps surae force production in healthy subjects. If successful, such a protocol could be utilized to prevent deleterious effects of hypo-activity. Twenty-nine healthy students participated in this study. The electrical evoked twitch and maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) in plantar-flexion, and electromyograms (EMG) were quantified before and at the end of the program. The vibration program consisted of 14 days of daily vibration applied at rest (duration: 1 h; frequency: 50 Hz). After the program, there was an increase in MVC associated with greater EMG of the TS. No sign of hypertrophy were found on the twitch parameters and the EMG-torque relationships. Repeated vibrations of the Achilles tendon lead to an increase in plantar-flexor activation and thus to greater force developed in voluntary conditions whilst the contractile properties assessed by the twitch are not modified. This program could be beneficial to persons with hypo-activity who are not candidates for WBV

Effects of repeated Achilles tendon vibration on triceps surae stiffness and reflex excitability

International audienceClinical studies frequently report an increase in stiffness and a loss of range of motion at joints placed in disuse or immobilization. This is notably the case for subjects maintained in bed for a long period, whilst their joints are not affected. Recently we documented on healthy subjects the benefit in terms of force and activation capacities of the triceps surae offered by vibrations applied to the Achilles tendon. Knowing that stiffness changes may contribute to force changes, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of tendon vibration on the triceps surae stiffness of healthy subjects. The vibration program consisted in 14 days of 1h daily Achilles tendon vibration applied at rest. Nineteen healthy students were involved in this study. Before and at the end of the vibration program, musculo-tendinous stiffness in active conditions was determined by use of a quick-release test. Passive stiffness was also analyzed by a flexibility test: passive torque-angle relationships were established from maximal plantar-flexion to maximal dorsiflexion. Passive stiffness indexes at 10°, 15° and 20° dorsiflexion were defined as the slope of the relationships at the corresponding angle. Tendinous reflex, influenced by stiffness values, was also investigated as well as the H reflex to obtain an index of the central reflex excitability. After the program, musculo-tendinous stiffness was significantly decreased (p=.01). At the same time, maximal passive dorsiflexion was increased (p=.005) and passive stiffness indexes at 10°, 15° and 20° dorsiflexion decreased (p<.001; p<.001 and p=.011, respectively). Tendinous reflex also significantly decreased. As the triceps surae parameters are diminished after the vibration program, it could be beneficial to immobilized persons as hypo-activity is known to increase muscular stiffness

Acute postural modulation of the soleus H-reflex after Achilles tendon vibration

International audienceAlteration of Soleus (SOL) H-reflex has been reported after prolonged vibratory exposure and it was hypothesized that presynaptic inhibition, known to depress the H-reflex during vibration, largely contributed to the H-reflex changes. To confirm this hypothesis, the purpose of the present study was to quantify the SOL H-reflex changes between sitting and standing positions (postural modulation) with or without the after-effects of 1h of Achilles tendon vibration. Indeed, postural modulation of the SOL H-reflex has been reported to inform on the level of presynaptic inhibition exerted on Ia afferents. SOL H-reflex and M waves were measured in healthy voluntary subjects in both sitting and standing positions before and after 1h of Achilles vibration (frequency: 50 Hz) applied in sitting position (vibration group, n=11) or before and after 1h of sitting position only (control group, n=6). SOL H(max)/M(max) ratios were calculated. Furthermore, in order to quantify presynaptic inhibition induced by prolonged vibration, an index of SOL H-reflex postural modulation was calculated as the standing H(max)/M(max) ratio relative to the sitting one. After 1h of Achilles tendon vibration, a significant decrease in the SOL H(max)/M(max) ratio was observed both in sitting and standing positions (p<0.05). However, the decrease was more pronounced in the standing position, leading to a significant decrease of the index of SOL H-reflex postural modulation. Those results suggest that presynaptic inhibition could have largely contributed to the H-reflex decrease observed after one bout of vibration

Ipsi- and contralateral H-reflexes and V-waves after unilateral chronic Achilles tendon vibration

International audienceChronic Achilles tendon vibration has previously shown its effectiveness in improving plantar flexor's strength and activation capacities. The present study investigated the related neural mechanisms by analyzing H-reflexes and V-waves of the soleus (SOL) and gastrocnemii (GM gastrocnemius medialis; GL gastrocnemius lateralis) muscles under maximal isometric plantar flexion. Moreover, recordings were conducted bilaterally to address potential crossed effects. 11 subjects were engaged in this study. Maximal voluntary contraction and superimposed H-reflexes and V-waves were quantified in both legs at baseline (PRE) and 2 weeks later to verify repeatability of data (CON). Then, subjects were retested after 14 days of daily unilateral Achilles tendon vibration (VIB; 1 h per day; frequency: 50 Hz). No changes were reported between PRE and CON data. In the VIB condition, there was an increase in MVC for both the vibrated (+9.1 %; p = 0.016) and non-vibrated (+10.2 %; p = 0.009) legs. The H-reflex increased by a mean 25 % in the vibrated SOL (p < 0.001), while it remained unchanged for the contralateral side (p = 0.531). The SOL V-wave also increased in the vibrated limb (+43.3 %; p < 0.001), as well as in the non-vibrated one (+41.9 %; p = 0.006). Furthermore, the GM V-wave increased by 37.8 % (p = 0.081) in the vibrated side and by 39.4 % (p = 0.03) in the non-vibrated side. However, no changes were reported for the GL muscles. While the present study confirmed the strength gains induced by chronic Achilles tendon vibration, the results indicated a cross-education phenomenon with differences in neural adaptations between the vibrated leg and non-vibrated leg

Differential effect of knee extension isometric training on the different muscles of the quadriceps femoris in humans

International audienceThis study determined the e€ects of a short period of knee isometric training on the quadriceps muscles accessible to surface electromyography (EMG). For this purpose, a training (n ˆ 9) and a control (n ˆ 7) group were tested on ®ve identical occasions at 1 week intervals during 4 weeks. The training group exercised three times a week by making isometric knee extensions at 80% of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). During the test sessions, maximal and submaximal torque and associated activations of the rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL) and vastus medialis (VM) muscles were analysed. As a result of training, di€er-ences between MVC values of the two groups were highly signi®cant (P < 0.001), whereas only RF-EMG showed signi®cant di€erences (P < 0.05). The VL and VM did not present any signi®cant changes in maximal activation. The EMG±torque relationships were analysed individually before and after the training period. For the control subjects, EMG±torque relationships did not present signi®cant changes while for the training group, these relationships showed a signi®cant increase in RF, VL, and VM maximal activation in 6, 6 and 4 subjects, respectively, and a signi®cant decrease in 1, 2 and 5 subjects, respectively. In almost all cases, a sig-ni®cant downward shift of the relationship was observed. This study con®rmed that the parts of the quadriceps muscle tested present di€erent adaptation capacities and demonstrate inter-individual variability in the strategies used to enhance muscle strength. In conclusion , to analyse the neural e€ects resulting from training in a large and compartmentalized muscle like the quadriceps femoris, it is desirable to take into account each muscle independently. Moreover, we suggest that overall results obtained from the experiment population should be completed by an analysis on individuals

La norme ISO 9001 comme outil de progrès : témoignages de plates-formes certifiées » - Des Responsables Qualité et Responsables de plates-formes Biogenouest apportent leur retour d'expériences sur la mise en place de la certification ISO 9001 au sein de leur structure et présentent l'objectif de cette démarche ainsi que son intérêt au quotidien.

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