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Joint and muscle-tendon coordination strategies during submaximal jumping
Logan Wade1, Glen A Lichtwark1, Dominic J Farris1,2
1School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)
|February 21, 2020
Summary
Adapting jumping mechanics involves different strategies for leg muscles. Distal muscles rely on intrinsic properties, while proximal muscles adjust neural activation for altered movement demands.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Human Movement Science
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Humans typically minimize countermovement depth in jumping to conserve energy.
- Altered movement patterns necessitate neural control adaptations due to complex muscle-task interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how joint and muscle mechanics integrate into coordination strategies during deep countermovement jumping.
- To compare preferred versus deep countermovement jumping to understand adaptation mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 3D motion capture, force plates, electromyography, and ultrasonography.
- Measured joint kinetics/kinematics and muscle activation/kinematics (lateral gastrocnemius, soleus).
Main Results:
- Deep countermovement jumping decreased ankle joint work due to increased knee flexion, shortening biarticular muscles and limiting fascicle length change.
- Reduced ankle joint work resulted from decreased active fascicle length change and unfavorable force-length relationship positioning.
- Increased hip joint work was observed, attributed to greater hip extensor muscle activation duration compared to plantar flexors.
Conclusions:
- Coordination strategies are influenced by time availability at individual joints.
- Short activation times for plantar flexors lead to reliance on muscle properties, not just altered activation.
- Longer contraction times for hip muscles allow for adjustments in voluntary neural control.
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