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Guekos A, Saxer J, Salinas Gallegos D, Schweinhardt P. Healthy women show more experimentally induced central sensitization compared with men. Pain 2024; 165:1413-1424. [PMID: 38231588 PMCID: PMC11090033 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Women more often experience chronic pain conditions than men. Central sensitization (CS) is one key mechanism in chronic pain that can differ between the sexes. It is unknown whether CS processes are already more pronounced in healthy women than in men. In 66 subjects (33 women), a thermal CS induction protocol was applied to the dorsum of one foot and a sham protocol to the other. Spatial extent [cm 2 ] of secondary mechanical hyperalgesia (SMH) and dynamic mechanical allodynia were assessed as subjective CS proxy measures, relying on verbal feedback. Changes in nociceptive withdrawal reflex magnitude (NWR-M) and response rate (NWR-RR) recorded through surface electromyography at the biceps and rectus femoris muscles were used as objective CS proxies. The effect of the CS induction protocol on SMH was higher in women than in men (effect size 2.11 vs 1.68). Nociceptive withdrawal reflex magnitude results were statistically meaningful for women (effect size 0.31-0.36) but not for men (effect size 0.12-0.29). Differences between men and women were not meaningful. Nociceptive withdrawal reflex response rate at the rectus femoris increased in women after CS induction and was statistically different from NWR-RR in men (median differences of 13.7 and 8.4% for 120 and 140% reflex threshold current). The objective CS proxy differences indicate that dorsal horn CS processes are more pronounced in healthy women. The even larger sex differences in subjective CS proxies potentially reflect greater supraspinal influence in women. This study shows that sex differences are present in experimentally induced CS in healthy subjects, which might contribute to women's vulnerability for chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandros Guekos
- Integrative Spinal Research, Department of Chiropractic Medicine, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Decision Neuroscience Lab, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Janis Saxer
- Integrative Spinal Research, Department of Chiropractic Medicine, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Diego Salinas Gallegos
- Integrative Spinal Research, Department of Chiropractic Medicine, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- IQVIA AG, Rotkreuz, Switzerland
| | - Petra Schweinhardt
- Integrative Spinal Research, Department of Chiropractic Medicine, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Dussault-Picard C, Havashinezhadian S, Turpin NA, Moissenet F, Turcot K, Cherni Y. Age-related modifications of muscle synergies during daily-living tasks: A scoping review. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon) 2024; 113:106207. [PMID: 38367481 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2024.106207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aging is associated with changes in neuromuscular control that can lead to difficulties in performing daily living tasks. Muscle synergy analysis allows the assessment of neuromuscular control strategies and functional deficits. However, the age-related changes of muscle synergies during functional tasks are scattered throughout the literature. This review aimed to synthesize the existing literature on muscle synergies in elderly people during daily-living tasks and examine how they differ from those exhibited by young adults. METHODS The Medline, CINAHL and Web of Science databases were searched. Studies were included if they focused on muscle synergies in elderly people during walking, sit-to-stand or stair ascent, and if muscle synergies were obtained by a matrix factorization algorithm. FINDINGS Seventeen studies were included after the screening process. The muscle synergies of 295 elderly people and 182 young adults were reported, including 5 to 16 muscles per leg, or leg and trunk. Results suggest that: 1) elderly people and young adults retain similar muscle synergies' number, 2) elderly people have higher muscles weighting during walking, and 3) an increased inter and intra-subject temporal activation variability during specific tasks (i.e., walking and stair ascent, respectively) was reported in elderly people compared to young adults. INTERPRETATION This review gives a comprehensive understanding of age-related changes in neuromuscular control during daily living tasks. Our findings suggested that although the number of synergies remains similar, metrics such as spatial and temporal structures of synergies are more suitable to identify neuromuscular control deficits between young adults and elderly people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cloé Dussault-Picard
- École de kinésiologie et des sciences de l'activité physique, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada; Laboratoire de Neurobiomécanique & Neuroréadaptation de la Locomotion (NNL), Centre de recherche du CHU Ste Justine, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Sara Havashinezhadian
- Département de Kinésiologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada; Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Réadaptation et Intégration Sociale, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Nicolas A Turpin
- IRISSE (EA 4075), UFR SHE, Département des sciences du sport (STAPS), Université de la Réunion, France
| | - Florent Moissenet
- Laboratoire de kinésiologie, Hôpitaux universitaires de Genève et Université de Genève, Genève, Switzerland; Laboratoire de biomécanique, Hôpitaux universitaires de Genève et Université de Genève, Genève, Switzerland
| | - Katia Turcot
- Département de Kinésiologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada; Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Réadaptation et Intégration Sociale, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Yosra Cherni
- École de kinésiologie et des sciences de l'activité physique, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada; Laboratoire de Neurobiomécanique & Neuroréadaptation de la Locomotion (NNL), Centre de recherche du CHU Ste Justine, Montréal, QC, Canada; Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche sur le Cerveau et l'apprentissage (CIRCA), Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
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Yang C, Yang Y, Xu Y, Zhang Z, Lake M, Fu W. Whole leg compression garments influence lower limb kinematics and associated muscle synergies during running. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2024; 12:1310464. [PMID: 38444649 PMCID: PMC10912955 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1310464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The utilization of compression garments (CGs) has demonstrated the potential to improve athletic performance; however, the specific mechanisms underlying this enhancement remain a subject of further investigation. This study aimed to examine the impact of CGs on running mechanics and muscle synergies from a neuromuscular control perspective. Twelve adult males ran on a treadmill at 12 km/h, while data pertaining to lower limb kinematics, kinetics, and electromyography were collected under two clothing conditions: whole leg compression garments and control. The Non-negative matrix factorization algorithm was employed to extract muscle synergy during running, subsequently followed by cluster analysis and correlation analysis. The findings revealed that the CGs increased knee extension and reduced hip flexion at foot strike compared with the control condition. Moreover, CGs were found to enhance stance-phase peak knee extension, while diminishing hip flexion and maximal hip extension during the stance-phase, and the ankle kinematics remained unaltered. We extracted and classified six synergies (SYN1-6) during running and found that only five SYNs were observed after wearing CGs. CGs altered the structure of the synergies and changed muscle activation weights and durations. The current study is the first to apply muscle synergy to discuss the effect of CGs on running biomechanics. Our findings provide neuromuscular evidence for the idea of previous studies that CGs alter the coordination of muscle groups, thereby affecting kinematic characteristics during running.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenhao Yang
- School of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Exercise and Health Sciences of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Yang Yang
- School of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Exercise and Health Sciences of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Yongxin Xu
- School of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Exercise and Health Sciences of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhenyuan Zhang
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Science (RISES), Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Lake
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Science (RISES), Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Weijie Fu
- School of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Exercise and Health Sciences of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
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Fazzari C, Macchi R, Kunimasa Y, Ressam C, Casanova R, Chavet P, Nicol C. Muscle synergies inherent in simulated hypogravity running reveal flexible but not unconstrained locomotor control. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2707. [PMID: 38302569 PMCID: PMC10834966 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50076-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
With human space exploration back in the spotlight, recent studies have investigated the neuromuscular adjustments to simulated hypogravity running. They have examined the activity of individual muscles, whereas the central nervous system may rather activate groups of functionally related muscles, known as muscle synergies. To understand how locomotor control adjusts to simulated hypogravity, we examined the temporal (motor primitives) and spatial (motor modules) components of muscle synergies in participants running sequentially at 100%, 60%, and 100% body weight on a treadmill. Our results highlighted the paradoxical nature of simulated hypogravity running: The reduced mechanical constraints allowed for a more flexible locomotor control, which correlated with the degree of spatiotemporal adjustments. Yet, the increased temporal (shortened stance phase) and sensory (deteriorated proprioceptive feedback) constraints required wider motor primitives and a higher contribution of the hamstring muscles during the stance phase. These results are a first step towards improving astronaut training protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Robin Macchi
- Aix-Marseille Univ, CNRS, ISM, Marseille, France
- French Institute of Sport (INSEP), Laboratory Sport, Expertise and Performance (EA 7370), Paris, France
| | | | - Camélia Ressam
- NeuroSpin, UMR CEA/CNRS 9027, Paris-Saclay University, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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Pons MS, Hunter SK, Ansdell P. Sex differences in fatigability and recovery following a 5 km running time trial in recreationally active adults. Eur J Sport Sci 2023; 23:2349-2356. [PMID: 37409428 DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2023.2233483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACTFemales demonstrate greater fatigue resistance compared to males in tasks ranging from single-limb contractions to whole-body exercise, including running. Many of the studies investigating sex differences in fatigability following running, however, occur after long duration, low-intensity tasks and it is unknown whether there is a sex difference in fatigability following high-intensity running. This study compared fatigability and recovery following a 5 km running time trial in young males and females. Sixteen recreationally active participants (8 males, 8 females, age: 23 ± 4 years) completed a familiarisation and experimental trial. Knee-extensor maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs) were performed before and up to 30 min after a 5 km time trial on a treadmill. Heart rate and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded after every kilometre during the time trial. Although not significantly different, males completed the 5 km time trial 15% faster than females (p = 0.095). Heart rate (p = 0.843) and RPE (p = 0.784) were similar between the sexes during the trial. Prior to running, males had larger MVCs (p = 0.014). The relative decrease in MVC force was less in females than males immediately post-exercise (-4.6 ± 2.4% vs. -15.1 ± 3.0%, p < 0.001) and at 10-minutes post-exercise (p = 0.018). At 20- and 30-minutes recovery, however, relative MVC force was not different between the sexes (p ≥ 0.129). These data demonstrate that females experienced less fatigability of the knee extensors than males following a high-intensity 5 km running time trial. The findings highlight the need to understand responses to exercise in both sexes and have implications for recovery from training and exercise prescription.Highlights Data regarding sex differences in fatigability following high-intensity running is relatively sparse.Therefore, this study quantified the decrease in knee-extensor maximum voluntary contraction force (MVC) following a 5-km self-paced running time trial.Despite similar heart rates and ratings of perceived exertion, the percentage decrease in MVC was three times greater in males compared to females.Relative MVCs remained greater in females compared to males until 20 min post-exercise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Solleiro Pons
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Sandra K Hunter
- Exercise Science Program, Department of Physical Therapy, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Paul Ansdell
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
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da Silva Costa AA, Hortobágyi T, den Otter R, Sawers A, Moraes R. Age, Cognitive Task, and Arm Position Differently Affect Muscle Synergy Recruitment but have Similar Effects on Walking Balance. Neuroscience 2023; 527:11-21. [PMID: 37437799 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
Age modifies walking balance and neuromuscular control. Cognitive and postural constraints can increase walking balance difficulty and magnify age-related differences. However, how such challenges affect neuromuscular control remains unknown. We determined the effects of age, cognitive task, and arm position on neuromuscular control of walking balance. Young (YA) and older adults (OA) walked on a 6-cm wide beam with and without arm crossing and a cognitive task. Walking balance was quantified by the distance walked on the beam. We also computed step speed, margin of stability, and cognitive errors. Neuromuscular control was determined through muscle synergies extracted from 13 right leg and trunk muscles. We analyzed neuromuscular complexity by the number of synergies and the variance accounted for by the first synergy, coactivity by the number of significantly active muscles in each synergy, and efficiency by the sum of the activation of each significantly active muscle in each synergy. OA vs. YA walked a 14% shorter distance, made 12 times more cognitive errors, and showed less complex and efficient neuromuscular control. Cognitive task reduced walking balance mainly in OA. Decreases in step speed and margin of stability, along with increased muscle synergy coactivity and reduced efficiency were observed in both age groups. Arm-crossing also reduced walking balance mostly in OA, but step speed decreased mainly in YA, in whom the margin of stability increased. Arm-crossing reduced the complexity of synergies. Age, cognitive task, and arm position affect differently muscle synergy recruitment but have similar effects on walking balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andréia Abud da Silva Costa
- Ribeirão Preto Medical School, Graduate Program in Rehabilitation and Functional Performance, University of São Paulo, Brazil; Biomechanics and Motor Control Lab, School of Physical Education and Sport of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Human Movement Sciences, University of Groningen Medical Center, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Tibor Hortobágyi
- Department of Human Movement Sciences, University of Groningen Medical Center, Groningen, The Netherlands; Department of Kinesiology, Hungarian University of Sports Science, 1123 Budapest, Hungary; Department of Sport Biology, Institute of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary; Department of Neurology, Somogy County Kaposi Mór Teaching Hospital, Kaposvár, Hungary; Institute of Sport Research, Sports University of Tirana, Tirana, Albania
| | - Rob den Otter
- Department of Human Movement Sciences, University of Groningen Medical Center, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Andrew Sawers
- Department of Kinesiology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Renato Moraes
- Ribeirão Preto Medical School, Graduate Program in Rehabilitation and Functional Performance, University of São Paulo, Brazil; Biomechanics and Motor Control Lab, School of Physical Education and Sport of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Brazil
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7
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Santuz A, Janshen L, Brüll L, Munoz-Martel V, Taborri J, Rossi S, Arampatzis A. Sex-specific tuning of modular muscle activation patterns for locomotion in young and older adults. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0269417. [PMID: 35658057 PMCID: PMC9165881 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that including sex as a biological variable is of crucial importance to promote rigorous, repeatable and reproducible science. In spite of this, the body of literature that accounts for the sex of participants in human locomotion studies is small and often produces controversial results. Here, we investigated the modular organization of muscle activation patterns for human locomotion using the concept of muscle synergies with a double purpose: i) uncover possible sex-specific characteristics of motor control and ii) assess whether these are maintained in older age. We recorded electromyographic activities from 13 ipsilateral muscles of the lower limb in young and older adults of both sexes walking (young and old) and running (young) on a treadmill. The data set obtained from the 215 participants was elaborated through non-negative matrix factorization to extract the time-independent (i.e., motor modules) and time-dependent (i.e., motor primitives) coefficients of muscle synergies. We found sparse sex-specific modulations of motor control. Motor modules showed a different contribution of hip extensors, knee extensors and foot dorsiflexors in various synergies. Motor primitives were wider (i.e., lasted longer) in males in the propulsion synergy for walking (but only in young and not in older adults) and in the weight acceptance synergy for running. Moreover, the complexity of motor primitives was similar in younger adults of both sexes, but lower in older females as compared to older males. In essence, our results revealed the existence of small but defined sex-specific differences in the way humans control locomotion and that these are not entirely maintained in older age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Santuz
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Janshen
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Leon Brüll
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Network Aging Research, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Victor Munoz-Martel
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Juri Taborri
- Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Stefano Rossi
- Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Adamantios Arampatzis
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Macchi R, Santuz A, Hays A, Vercruyssen F, Arampatzis A, Bar-Hen A, Nicol C. Sex influence on muscle synergies in a ballistic force-velocity test during the delayed recovery phase after a graded endurance run. Heliyon 2022; 8:e09573. [PMID: 35756118 PMCID: PMC9213706 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The acute and delayed phases of the functional recovery pattern after running exercise have been studied mainly in men. However, it seems that women are less fatigable and/or recover faster than men, at least when tested in isometric condition. After a 20 km graded running race, the influence of sex on the delayed phase of recovery at 2-4 days was studied using a horizontal ballistic force-velocity test. Nine female and height male recreational runners performed maximal concentric push-offs at four load levels a week before the race (PRE), 2 and 4 days (D2 and D4) later. Ground reaction forces and surface electromyographic (EMG) activity from 8 major lower limb muscles were recorded. For each session, the mechanical force-velocity-power profile (i.e. theoretical maximal values of force ( F ¯ 0), velocity ( V ¯ 0), and power ( P ¯ max)) was computed. Mean EMG activity of each recorded muscle and muscle synergies (three for both men and women) were extracted. Independently of the testing sessions, men and women differed regarding the solicitation of the bi-articular thigh muscles (medial hamstring muscles and rectus femoris). At mid-push-off, female made use of more evenly distributed lower limb muscle activities than men. No fatigue effect was found for both sexes when looking at the mean ground reaction forces. However, the force-velocity profile varied by sex throughout the recovery: only men showed a decrease of both V ¯ 0 (p < 0.05) and P ¯ max (p < 0.01) at D2 compared to PRE. Vastus medialis activity was reduced for both men and women up to D4, but only male synergies were impacted at D2: the center of activity of the first and second synergies was reached later. This study suggests that women could recover earlier in a dynamic multi-joint task and that sex-specific organization of muscle synergies may have contributed to their different recovery times after such a race.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Macchi
- ISM, CNRS & Aix Marseille University, Marseille, France
| | - Alessandro Santuz
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany.,Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Arnaud Hays
- ISM, CNRS & Aix Marseille University, Marseille, France
| | | | - Adamantios Arampatzis
- Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany.,Berlin School of Movement Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Avner Bar-Hen
- CEDRIC, Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Paris, France
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