Tensiomyography

About: Tensiomyography is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 192 publications have been published within this topic receiving 3465 citations.

Whole muscle contractile parameters and thickness loss during 35-day bed rest

Abstract: Extended exposure to microgravity leads to significant musculoskeletal adaptations. Contractile parameters of four skeletal muscles (biceps brachii–BB, vastus medialis–VM, biceps femoris–BF and gastrocnemius medialis–GM) were measured in ten healthy males (aged 22.3 ± 2.2 years) during 35 days of horizontal bed rest by a mechanomyography-based method termed ‘tensiomyography’ (TMG). Two contractile parameters: contraction time (Tc) and maximal displacement (Dm) were individually measured from electrically evoked maximal single twitch TMG response of all four muscles before and after bed rest. Significant changes in Tc were found after bed rest, as shown by an increase in GM muscle Tc by 18% (p < 0.01). Dm values significantly increased (p < 0.01) after bed rest, by 24, 26 and 30% in the VM, BF and GM muscles, respectively. In the GM, the change in Dm significantly correlated with the decrease in muscle thickness (r = −0.70, p < 0.01). In conclusion, bed rest induced changes in both Dm and Tc of the TMG signal; changes in Dm being inversely related to those of muscle thickness. Amongst the investigated muscles, most affected, in terms of atrophy and mechanical alterations, were those of the lower limbs. The observed increase in Dm may be attributed to a decrease in muscle, as well as tendon stiffness, causing larger muscle fibre and non-contractile tissue oscillations following contraction.

Evaluation of the ability to make non-invasive estimation of muscle contractile properties on the basis of the muscle belly response.

Abstract: The histochemical and biomechanical relationships of limb muscles are examined in two groups of 15 men aged between 17 and 40 years. Seven muscles are chosen: biceps brachii, triceps brachii (TB), flexor digitorum superficialis, extensor digitorum, biceps femoris, tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius caput mediale (GCM). The aim of the preliminary study is to evaluate an alternative method based on a tensiomyographic (TMG) non-invasive measurement technique. The percentage of type I muscle fibres obtained with the histochemical method is 2.2 times higher for the slowest measured muscle (GCM) than for the fastest (TB). The contraction time of a muscle belly twitch response measured by TMG is 1.9 times higher for GCM than for TB. Statistical analysis of the data obtained by tensiomyographic and histochemical techniques shows a significant correlation between the contraction time of muscle response measured by TMG and the percentage of type I muscle fibres (correlation coefficient equals 0.93). Results of the study suggest using the TMG measuring technique as a basis for the estimation of the percentage of type I muscle fibres.