Robert Csapo

Effects of Kinesio ® taping on skeletal muscle strength—A meta-analysis of current evidence

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to test whether certain applications of Kinesio tapes might facilitate contraction and increase muscle strength in healthy adults. DESIGN A meta-analysis of studies investigating the efficacy of Kinesio tapes application was performed. METHODS The scientific databases Pubmed and Google Scholar were systematically searched for appropriate articles. Descriptive statistics were extracted to calculate measures of effect size (Pearsons r) and estimate the overall population effect. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using a specific quality appraisal tool. In addition, the included studies were grouped according to the muscle groups examined, to test whether Kinesio tapes effects were dependent on the area of application. RESULTS A total of 19 studies, comprising data of 530 subjects and 48 pairwise comparisons of muscle strength were included. The methodological quality of these studies ranged from moderate to good. While substantial variability of individual effect sizes was observed, the overall population effect (r=0.05, CI: -0.23 to 0.34) suggests that, on average, the potential to increase strength by application of Kinesio tapes is negligible. Comparisons between studies grouped by the muscle groups examined showed that the effects of Kinesio tapes are not muscle-group dependent. CONCLUSIONS While the application of Kinesio tapes may have some therapeutic benefits, the usage of these tapes does not promote strength gains in healthy adults.

Load‐controlled moderate and high‐intensity resistance training programs provoke similar strength gains in young women

Introduction: While current exercise guidelines recommend progressive, high‐intensity resistance training (RT) to promote muscle hypertrophy and strength gains, controversy exists regarding the efficacy of lighter‐load RT. We compared 2 work‐matched RT interventions that differed in training intensity. Methods: Fifteen women underwent 10 weeks of unilateral knee extensor RT. One leg was trained at increasing intensity (intensity leg, InL, 50–80% 1‐repetition maximum [1‐RM]), and training progression in the contralateral leg (volume leg, VoL, 50% 1‐RM) was based on increasing training volumes. Quadriceps muscle size (ultrasound, dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry) and strength (isokinetic dynamometry) were assessed on 4 occasions. Results: Both training programs induced significant, yet comparable increases in muscle size (InL: +4.6–12%, VoL: +3.1–11%) and strength (InL: +10–16%, VoL: +10–14%). Conclusions: Training at lower than commonly suggested intensities may be an equally effective alternative form of RT. Factors other than training intensity, such as the total mechanical work during training, may strongly affect the training response. Muscle Nerve 51: 92–101, 2015

Age-related differences in diffusion tensor indices and fiber architecture in the medial and lateral gastrocnemius

To investigate age related changes in diffusion tensor indices and fiber architecture of the medial and lateral gastrocnemius (MG and LG) muscles using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

Age-related greater Achilles tendon compliance is not associated with larger plantar flexor muscle fascicle strains in senior women

The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that the age-associated decrease of tendon stiffness would necessitate greater muscle fascicle strains to produce similar levels of force during isometric contraction. Greater fascicle strains could force sarcomeres to operate in less advantageous regions of their force-length and force-velocity relationships, thus impairing the capacity to generate strong and explosive contractions. To test this hypothesis, sagittal-plane dynamic velocity-encoded phase-contrast magnetic resonance images of the gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscle and Achilles tendon (AT) were acquired in six young (YW; 26.1 ± 2.3 yr) and six senior (SW; 76.7 ± 8.3 yr) women during submaximal isometric contraction (35% maximum voluntary isometric contraction) of the plantar flexor muscles. Multiple GM fascicle lengths were continuously determined by automatically tracking regions of interest coinciding with the end points of muscle fascicles evenly distributed along the muscles proximo-distal length. AT stiffness and Youngs modulus were measured as the slopes of the tendons force-elongation and stress-strain curves, respectively. Despite significantly lower AT stiffness at older age (YW: 120.2 ± 52.3 N/mm vs. SW: 53.9 ± 44.4 N/mm, P = 0.040), contraction-induced changes in GM fascicle lengths were similar in both age groups at equal levels of absolute muscular force (4-5% fascicle shortening in both groups), and even significantly larger in YW (YW: 11-12% vs. SW: 6-8% fascicle shortening) at equal percentage of maximum voluntary contraction. These results suggest that factors other than AT stiffness, such as age-associated changes in muscle composition or fascicle slack, might serve as compensatory adaptations, limiting the degree of fascicle strains upon contraction.

Age-related differences in strain rate tensor of the medial gastrocnemius muscle during passive plantarflexion and active isometric contraction using velocity encoded MR imaging: Potential index of lateral force transmission

The strain rate (SR) tensor measures the principal directions and magnitude of the instantaneous deformation; this study aims to track age‐related changes in the 2D SR tensor in the medial gastrocnemius during passive joint rotation and active isometric contraction.

Do kinaesthetic tapes affect plantarflexor muscle performance

Abstract This study aimed to examine the effects of application of kinaesthetic tapes on plantarflexor muscle performance. We hypothesised that taping of the triceps surae muscle would improve plantarflexor muscle strength and endurance with no significant effect on drop jump performance. Using a repeated-measures design, all performance measures were obtained in 24 volunteers on two separate occasions: without tapes and after application of kinaesthetic tapes. Performance tests included measurements of isometric plantarflexor muscle strength and the associated electromyographic activity of the gastrocnemius muscle, an isokinetic fatigue resistance test (30 contractions at 180° · s−1) and assessments of drop jump performance. The taping-intervention was associated with an increase in gastrocnemius electromyographic activity. However, significant increases in isometric strength were only found at fully dorsiflexed ankle positions (+12% at −20°). Strength gains were negatively correlated to baseline strength (r = −.58). The intervention did not affect the results of the isokinetic fatigue and drop jump tests. The application of kinaesthetic tapes over the triceps surae muscle promotes an increase in isometric strength and gastrocnemius muscle activity. Our data suggest that these effects are joint-angle dependent and more prominent in weaker individuals. By contrast, the taping-intervention improves neither drop jump performance nor muscular endurance.

Ankle morphology amplifies calcaneus movement relative to triceps surae muscle shortening

The present study investigated the mechanical role of the dorsoventral curvature of the Achilles tendon in the conversion of the shortening of the plantarflexor muscles into ankle joint rotation. Dynamic, sagittal-plane magnetic resonance spin-tagged images of the ankle joint were acquired in six healthy subjects during both passive and active plantarflexion movements driven by a magnetic resonance compatible servomotor-controlled foot-pedal device. Several points on these images were tracked to determine the 1) path and deformation of the Achilles tendon, 2) ankles center of rotation, and 3) tendon moment arms. The degree of mechanical amplification of joint movement was calculated as the ratio of the displacements of the calcaneus and myotendinous junction. In plantarflexion, significant deflection of the Achilles tendon was evident in both the passive (165.7 ± 7.4°; 180° representing a straight tendon) and active trials (166.9 ± 8.8°). This bend in the dorsoventral direction acts to move the Achilles tendon closer to the ankles center of rotation, resulting in an ∼5% reduction of moment arm length. Over the entire range of movement, the overall displacement of the calcaneus exceeded the displacement of the myotendinous junction by ∼37%, with the mechanical gains being smaller in dorsi- and larger in plantarflexed joint positions. This is the first study to assess noninvasively and in vivo using MRI the curvature of the Achilles tendon during both passive and active plantarflexion movements. The dorsoventral tendon curvature amplifies the shortening of the plantarflexor muscles, resulting in a greater displacement of the tendons insertion into the calcaneus compared with its origin.

3D multimodal spatial fuzzy segmentation of intramuscular connective and adipose tissue from ultrashort TE MR images of calf muscle

To develop and evaluate an automated algorithm to segment intramuscular adipose (IMAT) and connective (IMCT) tissue from musculoskeletal MRI images acquired with a dual echo Ultrashort TE (UTE) sequence.

Pixel-based meshfree modelling of skeletal muscles

This paper introduces the meshfree reproducing kernel particle method for 3D image-based modelling of skeletal muscles. This approach allows for construction of simulation model based on pixel data obtained from medical images. The material properties and muscle fibre direction obtained from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) are input at each pixel point. The reproducing kernel approximation allows a representation of material heterogeneity with smooth transition. A multiphase multichannel level set based segmentation framework is adopted for individual muscle segmentation using magnetic resonance images and DTI. The application of the proposed methods for modelling the human lower leg is demonstrated.

Mapping of spatial and temporal heterogeneity of plantar flexor muscle activity during isometric contraction: correlation of velocity-encoded MRI with EMG

The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between contraction-associated muscle kinematics as measured by velocity-encoded phase-contrast (VE-PC) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and activity recorded via electromyography (EMG), and to construct a detailed three-dimensional (3-D) map of the contractile behavior of the triceps surae complex from the MRI data. Ten axial-plane VE-PC MRI slices of the triceps surae and EMG data were acquired during submaximal isometric contractions in 10 subjects. MRI images were analyzed to yield the degree of contraction-associated muscle displacement on a voxel-by-voxel basis and determine the heterogeneity of muscle movement within and between slices. Correlational analyses were performed to determine the agreement between EMG data and displacements. Pearsons coefficients demonstrated good agreement (0.84 < r < 0.88) between EMG data and displacements. Comparison between different slices in the gastrocnemius muscle revealed significant heterogeneity in displacement values both in-plane and along the cranio-caudal axis, with highest values in the mid-muscle regions. By contrast, no significant differences between muscle regions were found in the soleus muscle. Substantial differences among displacements were also observed within slices, with those in static areas being only 17-39% (maximum) of those in the most mobile muscle regions. The good agreement between EMG data and displacements suggests that VE-PC MRI may be used as a noninvasive, high-resolution technique for quantifying and modeling muscle activity over the entire 3-D volume of muscle groups. Application to the triceps surae complex revealed substantial heterogeneity of contraction-associated muscle motion both within slices and between different cranio-caudal positions.