Reflex Inhibition of Normal Cramp Following Electrical Stimulation of the Muscle Tendon

Author:

Khan Serajul I.,Burne John A.

Abstract

Muscle cramp was induced in one head of the gastrocnemius muscle (GA) in eight of thirteen subjects using maximum voluntary contraction when the muscle was in the shortened position. Cramp in GA was painful, involuntary, and localized. Induction of cramp was indicated by the presence of electromyographic (EMG) activity in one head of GA while the other head remained silent. In all cramping subjects, reflex inhibition of cramp electrical activity was observed following Achilles tendon electrical stimulation and they all reported subjective relief of cramp. Thus muscle cramp can be inhibited by stimulation of tendon afferents in the cramped muscle. When the inhibition of cramp-generated EMG and voluntary EMG was compared at similar mean EMG levels, the area and timing of the two phases of inhibition (I1, I2) did not differ significantly. This strongly suggests that the same reflex pathway was the source of the inhibition in both cases. Thus the cramp-generated EMG is also likely to be driven by spinal synaptic input to the motorneurons. We have found that the muscle conditions that appear necessary to facilitate cramp, a near to maximal contraction of the shortened muscle, are also the conditions that render the inhibition generated by tendon afferents ineffective. When the strength of tendon inhibition in cramping subjects was compared with that in subjects that failed to cramp, it was found to be significantly weaker under the same experimental conditions. It is likely that reduced inhibitory feedback from tendon afferents has an important role in generating cramp.

Publisher

American Physiological Society

Subject

Physiology,General Neuroscience

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3