Abstract
This study examined the fatigue effects of stretch-shortening cycle exercises of different intensity and duration on stretch reflex EMG and mechanical responses of the triceps surae muscle. Twelve subjects performed either a 10-km run (n=6) or short but exhaustive rebound exercise on a sledge apparatus (n=6). Passive reflex tests (mechanically induced ankle dorsiflexions) were examined before, after as well as 2 h, 2 and 7 days after exercise. Mechanical reflex responses were recorded from the ergometer torque signal. An acute contractile failure was observed as large reductions in twitch responses, especially in the sledge subgroup who showed high post-exercise peak blood lactate and an increased EMG/torque ratio. Independently of the exercise, the delayed fatigue analysis revealed strong relationships between the reflex-induced EMG and mechanical changes. In addition to muscle damage, these results may be explained by inhibitory effects via the sensitisation of small muscle afferents particularly during the exercise-induced delayed recovery process.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Armstrong RB (1990) Initial events in exercise-induced muscular injury. Med Sci Sports Exerc 22(4):429–435
Avela J, Komi PV (1998a) Interaction between muscle stiffness and stretch reflex sensitivity after long-term stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) exercise. Muscle Nerve 21(9):1224–1227
Avela J, Komi PV (1998b) Reduced stretch reflex sensitivity and muscle stiffness after long-lasting stretch-shortening muscle cycle (SSC) exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 78(5):403–410
Avela J, Kyröläinen H, Komi PV, Rama D (1999) Reduced reflex sensitivity persists several days after long-lasting stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) exercise. J Appl Physiol 86(4):1292–1300
Avela J, Kyröläinen H, Komi PV (2001) Neuromuscular changes after long-lasting mechanically and electrically fatigue. Eur J Appl Physiol 85(3–4):317–325
Bigland-Ritchie B, Dawson NJ, Johansson RS, Lippold OCJ (1986) Reflex origin for the slowing of motoneurone firing rates in fatigue of human voluntary contractions. J Physiol (Lond) 379:451–459
Brockett C, Warren N, Gregory JE, Morgan DL, Proske U (1997) A comparison of the effects of concentric versus eccentric exercise on force and position sense at the human elbow joint. Brain Res 771:251–258
Cervero F, Schaible HG, Schmidt RF (1991) Tonic descending inhibition of spinal cord neurones driven by joint afferents in normal cats and in cats with an inflamed knee joint. Exp Brain Res 83:3675–3678
Clarkson PM, Newham DJ (1995) Associations between muscle soreness, damage, and fatigue. In: Gandevia SC et al. (eds) Fatigue. Plenum, New York, pp 457–469
Cleak MJ, Eston RG (1992) Muscle soreness, swelling, stiffness and strength loss after intensive eccentric exercise. Br J Sport Med 26(4):267–272
Decherchi P, Darques J-L, Jammes Y (1998) Modifications of afferent activities from tibialis anterior muscle in rat by tendon vibrations, increase of interstitial potassium and lactate concentration and electrically-induced fatigue. J Periph Nerv Syst 3(4):1–10
Djupsjobacka M, Johansson H, Bergenheim M, Wenngren BI (1995) Influence on the γ-muscle spindle system from muscle afferents stimulated by increased intramuscular concentrations of bradykinin and 5-HT. Neurosci Res 22:325–333
Duchateau J, Hainaut K (1993) Behaviour of short and long latency reflexes in fatigued human muscles. J Physiol (Lond) 471:787–799
Faulkner JA, Brooks SV, Opiteck JA (1993) Injury to skeletal muscle fibres during contractions: conditions of occurrence and prevention. Physiol Ther 73(12):911–921
Fridén J, Lieber RL (2001a) Eccentric exercise-induced injuries to contractile and cytoskeletal muscle fibre components. Acta Physiol Scand 171:321–326
Fridén J, Lieber RL (2001b) Serum creatine kinase level is a poor predictor of muscle function after injury. Scand J Med Sci Sports 11(2):126–127
Garland SJ (1991) Role of small diameter afferents in reflex inhibition during human muscle fatigue. J Physiol (Lond) 435:547–558
Gollhofer A, Komi PV, Fujitsuka N, Miyashita M (1987) Fatigue during stretch-shortening cycle exercises. II. Changes in neuromuscular activation patterns of human skeletal muscle. Int J Sports Med 8 [Suppl. 1]:38–47
Hong SK, Kniffki KD, Mense S, Schmidt RF, Wendisch M (1979) Descending influences on the responses of spinocervical tract neurones to chemical stimulation of fine muscle afferents. J Physiol (Lond) 290:129–140
Horita T (2000) Stiffness regulation during stretch-shortening cycle exercise. PhD Thesis, Department of Biology of Physical Activity, University of Jyväskylä, Finland, 82 pp.
Horita T, Komi PV, Nicol C, Kyröläinen H (1996) Stretch shortening cycle fatigue: interactions among joint stiffness, reflex, and muscle mechanical performance in the drop jump. Eur J Appl Physiol 73:393–403
Horita T, Komi PV, Nicol C, Kyröläinen H (1999) Effect of exhausting stretch-shortening cycle exercise on the time course of mechanical behaviour in the drop jump: possible role of muscle damage. Eur J Appl Physiol 79:160–167
Hough T (1902) Ergographic studies in muscle soreness. Am J Appl Physiol 7:76–92
Howell JN, Chleboun G, Conatser R (1993) Muscle stiffness, strength loss, swelling and soreness following exercise-induced injury in humans. J Physiol (Lond) 464:183–196
Johansson H, Djupsjobacka M, Sjolander P (1993) Influences on the gamma-muscle spindle system from muscle afferents stimulated by KCl and lactic acid. Neurosci Res 16:49–57
Jovanović K, Anastasijević R, Vućo J (1990) Reflex effects on gamma fusimotor neurones of chemically induced discharges in small-diameter muscle afferents in decerebrate cats. Brain Res 521:89–94
Kaufman MP, Rybicki KJ (1987) Discharge properties of group III and IV muscle afferents: their responses to mechanical and metabolic stimuli. Circ Res Suppl 61:160–165
Komi PV, Nicol C (2000a) Stretch-shortening cycle fatigue. In: McIntosh B, Nigg B, Mester J (eds) Biomechanics and biology of movement. Human Kinetics, Champaign, Ill., pp 385–408
Komi PV, Nicol C (2000b) Stretch-shortening cycle of muscle function: In: Zatsiorsky Z (ed) Biomechanics in sport. Blackwell, Oxford, pp 87–102
Komi PV, Belli A, Huttunen V, Bonnefoy R, Geyssant A, Lacour JR (1996) Optic fibre as a transducer of tendomuscular forces. Eur J Appl Physiol 72:278–280
Lagier-Tessonier F, Balzamo E, Jammes Y (1993) Comparative effects of ischemia and acute hypoxemia on muscle afferents from tibialis anterior in cats. Muscle Nerve 16:135–141
MacIntyre DL, Reid WD, McKenzie DC (1995) Delayed muscle soreness: the inflammatory response to muscle injury and its clinical implications. Sports Med 20(1):24–40
Malm C, Nyberg P, Engström M, Sjödin B, Lenkei R, Ekblom B, Lundberg I (2000) Immunological changes in human skeletal muscle and blood after eccentric exercise and multiple biopsies. J Physiol (Lond) 529(1):243–262
Nicol C, Komi PV (1998) Significance of passively induced stretch reflexes on Achilles tendon force enhancement. Muscle Nerve 21:1546–1548
Nicol C, Komi PV, Horita T, Kyröläinen H, Takala TES (1996a) Reduced stretch-reflex sensitivity after exhaustive stretch-shortening cycle exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 72:401–409
Nicol C, Komi PV, Avela J (1996b) Stretch-shortening cycle fatigue reduces stretch reflex response. In: Abstract Book of the 1996 International Pre-Olympic Scientific Congress, Dallas, Texas, p 108
Nicol C, Komi PV, Finni T, Lepola V (1999) Stretch induced force enhancement in human skeletal muscle. Med Sci Sports Exerc 31(5):S329
Nosaka K, Clarkson PM (1995) Muscle damage following repeated bouts of high force eccentric exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc 27:1263–1269
Rossi A, Decchi B, Ginanneschi F (1999) Presynaptic excitability changes of group Ia fibres to muscle nociceptive stimulation in humans. Brain Res 818(1):12–22
SENIAM (1999) In: Hermens H, Freriks B, Merletti R, Stegeman D, Blok J, Rau G, Disselhorst-Klug C, Hägg G (eds). European Recommendations for Surface ElectroMyoGraphy. RRD, The Netherlands, ISBN 90-75452-15-2
Travell J, Rinzler S, Herman M (1942) Pain and disability of the shoulder and arm. Treatment by intramuscular infiltration with procaine hydrochloride. J Am Med Assoc 120:417–422
Whitehead NP, Weerakkody NS, Gregory JE, Morgan DL, Proske U (2001) Changes in passive tension of muscle in humans and animals after eccentric exercise. J Physiol (Lond) 533:593–604
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance of Ms. Taija Finni, Pirkko Puttonen, Marja-Liisa Romppanen, Sirpa Roivas and Mr. Markku Ruuskanen for technical support. This study was supported in part by a grant (121/722/2000) from the Ministry of Education (Finland).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nicol, C., Kuitunen, S., Kyröläinen, H. et al. Effects of long- and short-term fatiguing stretch-shortening cycle exercises on reflex EMG and force of the tendon-muscle complex. Eur J Appl Physiol 90, 470–479 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-003-0862-y
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-003-0862-y