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Viscoelastic creep in the human skeletal muscle–tendon unit

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Abstract

The purposes of the present study were to (1) characterize viscoelastic creep in vivo in the human skeletal muscle–tendon unit and (2) to examine the consistency of these responses during a single 30-s stretch. Twelve volunteers (mean ± SD = 22 ± 3 years; height = 169 ± 11 cm; mass = 70 ± 17 kg) participated in two separate experimental trials. Each trial consisted of a 30-s constant-torque stretch of the plantar flexor muscles. Position (°) values were quantified at every 5-s period (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 s) and the percent change in position was quantified for each 5-s epoch (0–5, 5–10, 10–15, 15–20, 20–25, and 25–30 s) relative to the total increase in the range of motion. In addition, the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and standard errors of the measurement (SEM) were calculated for test–retest reliability. These results indicated that position increased over the entire 30-s stretch (P < 0.05), while the majority of the increases in position (73–85%) occurred during the first 15–20 s. ICC values were >0.994 and SEM values (expressed as percentage of the mean) were <1.54%. In conclusion, these results demonstrate viscoelastic creep in vivo in the human skeletal muscle–tendon unit and suggest that these responses may be reliable for future studies.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Applied Musculoskeletal and Human Physiology Laboratory, Department of Health and Human Performance, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA

    Eric D. Ryan

  2. Biophysics Laboratory, Department of Health and Exercise Science, University of Oklahoma, 1401 Asp Avenue, HHC Room 12, Norman, OK, 73019-6081, USA

    Trent J. Herda, Pablo B. Costa, Ashley A. Walter, Katherine M. Hoge & Joel T. Cramer

  3. Metabolism and Body Composition Laboratory, Department of Health and Exercise Science, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA

    Jeffery R. Stout

Authors
  1. Eric D. Ryan
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  2. Trent J. Herda
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  3. Pablo B. Costa
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  4. Ashley A. Walter
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  5. Katherine M. Hoge
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  6. Jeffery R. Stout
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  7. Joel T. Cramer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joel T. Cramer.

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Communicated by Susan Ward.

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Ryan, E.D., Herda, T.J., Costa, P.B. et al. Viscoelastic creep in the human skeletal muscle–tendon unit. Eur J Appl Physiol 108, 207–211 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-009-1284-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-009-1284-2

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