0000000000369387

AUTHOR

Merja Hoffrén

Age-related muscle activation profiles and joint stiffness regulation in repetitive hopping

It is well documented that increasing effort during exercise is characterized by an increase in electromyographic activity of the relevant muscles. How aging influences this relationship is a matter of great interest. In the present study, nine young and 24 elderly subjects did repetitive hopping with maximal effort as well as with 50%, 65%, 75% and 90% intensities. During hopping joint kinematics were measured together with electromyographic activity (EMG) from the soleus, gastrocnemius medialis, gastrocnemius lateralis and tibialis anterior muscles. The results showed that agonist activation increased in both age groups with increasing intensity. The highest jumping efficiency (EMG ratio …

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Age-related muscle activation profiles and joint stiffness regulation in repetitive hopping

Abstract It is well documented that increasing effort during exercise is characterized by an increase in electromyographic activity of the relevant muscles. How aging influences this relationship is a matter of great interest. In the present study, nine young and 24 elderly subjects did repetitive hopping with maximal effort as well as with 50%, 65%, 75% and 90% intensities. During hopping joint kinematics were measured together with electromyographic activity (EMG) from the soleus, gastrocnemius medialis, gastrocnemius lateralis and tibialis anterior muscles. The results showed that agonist activation increased in both age groups with increasing intensity. The highest jumping efficiency (E…

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Bone rigidity to neuromuscular performance ratio in young and elderly men.

Given the adaptation of bone to prevalent loading, bone loss should follow, but lag behind, the decline in physical performance during aging. Furthermore, bone responsiveness to load-induced strains is believed to decrease with aging. However, the relationship between bone and lean body ( approximately muscle) mass appears to remain rather constant throughout adulthood. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between age and bone to neuromuscular performance ratio. Young (N=20, age 24 SD+/-2 years, body mass 77+/-11 kg, height 178+/-6 cm) and elderly (N=25, 72+/-4 years, 75+/-9 kg, 172+/-5 cm) men served as subjects. Bone structural traits were measured at the right distal …

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Age-related neuromuscular function during drop jumps.

Muscle- and movement-specific fascicle-tendon interaction affects the performance of the neuromuscular system. This interaction is unknown among elderly and consequently contributes to the lack of understanding the age-related problems on neuromuscular control. The present experiment studied the age specificity of fascicle-tendon interaction of the gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscle in drop jump (DJ) exercises. Twelve young and thirteen elderly subjects performed maximal squat jumps and DJs with maximal rebound effort on a sledge apparatus. Ankle and knee joint angles, reaction force, and electromyography (EMG) from the soleus (Sol), GM, and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles were measured tog…

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