Low muscle temperature in paralysed muscles of individuals with spinal cord injury may affect the contractile properties of these muscles. The present study was therefore undertaken to assess the effects of increased muscle temperature on the isometric contractile properties of electrically stimulated paralysed quadriceps muscles. When muscle temperature at a depth of 3 cm was increased from ∼32 °C to ∼36 °C by ultra-short-wave application, the half-relaxation time shortened and low-frequency force responses became less fused, but the maximal rate of increase in force remained unchanged. Heating had no effect upon either force decline or slowing of relaxation during fatiguing contractions. The force–frequency relationship of the paralysed quadriceps muscle was shifted to the right after the muscle was heated. Despite this shift, however, the relationship still resembled that in muscles of non-paralysed individuals, probably due to the unexplained high twitch forces. These results indicate that reduced muscle temperature in spinal-cord-injured individuals may lead to an underestimation of the changes in contractile properties in terms of relaxation rate or the degree of fusion with low-frequency stimulation. In addition, the force–frequency relationship of paralysed muscles does not accurately reflect the magnitude of these changes, even when the muscle is heated, and should therefore be treated with caution.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research Article|
November 19 1999
Influence of muscle temperature on the contractile properties of the quadriceps muscle in humans with spinal cord injury
H. L. GERRITS;
*Institute for Fundamental and Clinical Human Movement Sciences, Vrije University Metropolitan, Amsterdam, v/d Boechorststraat 9, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands
†Institute for Fundamental and Clinical Human Movement Sciences, University of Nijmegen, P. O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Correspondence: Dr Karin (H.L.) Gerrits, Institute for Fundamental and Clinical Human Movement Sciences, Vrije University Amsterdam, v/d Boechorststraat 9, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands (e-mail [email protected]).
Search for other works by this author on:
A. DE HAAN;
A. DE HAAN
*Institute for Fundamental and Clinical Human Movement Sciences, Vrije University Metropolitan, Amsterdam, v/d Boechorststraat 9, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands
‡Neuromuscular Biology Group, Manchester Metropolian University, Hassal Rd., Alsager ST7 2HL, U.K.
Search for other works by this author on:
M. T. E. HOPMAN;
M. T. E. HOPMAN
†Institute for Fundamental and Clinical Human Movement Sciences, University of Nijmegen, P. O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Search for other works by this author on:
L. H. V. VAN DER WOUDE;
L. H. V. VAN DER WOUDE
*Institute for Fundamental and Clinical Human Movement Sciences, Vrije University Metropolitan, Amsterdam, v/d Boechorststraat 9, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Search for other works by this author on:
A. J. SARGEANT
A. J. SARGEANT
*Institute for Fundamental and Clinical Human Movement Sciences, Vrije University Metropolitan, Amsterdam, v/d Boechorststraat 9, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands
‡Neuromuscular Biology Group, Manchester Metropolian University, Hassal Rd., Alsager ST7 2HL, U.K.
Search for other works by this author on:
Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
May 11 1999
Revision Received:
July 26 1999
Accepted:
September 10 1999
Online ISSN: 1470-8736
Print ISSN: 0143-5221
The Biochemical Society and the Medical Research Society © 2000
2000
Clin Sci (Lond) (2000) 98 (1): 31–38.
Article history
Received:
May 11 1999
Revision Received:
July 26 1999
Accepted:
September 10 1999
Citation
H. L. GERRITS, A. DE HAAN, M. T. E. HOPMAN, L. H. V. VAN DER WOUDE, A. J. SARGEANT; Influence of muscle temperature on the contractile properties of the quadriceps muscle in humans with spinal cord injury. Clin Sci (Lond) 1 January 2000; 98 (1): 31–38. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/cs0980031
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign in to your personal account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.
Biochemical Society Member Sign in
Sign InSign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionGet Access To This Article
Cited By
Open Access for all
We offer compliant routes for all authors from 2025. With library support, there will be no author nor reader charges in 5 journals. Check here |
![]() |