MEDIAL GASTROCNEMIUS MUSCLE ARCHITECTURE AND PLANTIFLEXORS TORQUE IN COMMUNITY OLDER WOMEN

Abstract

AbstractThe aging process can lead to changes in muscle architecture, such as reduction of muscle thickness (MT), pennation angle (PA) and fascicle length (FL), which may contribute to dinapenia. Thus, the aim of the study was to correlate the medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle architecture and plantiflexors peak of torque (PT) of community older women. Cross-sectional study approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Federal University of Parana (36003814.2.0000.0102). The study included 48 older women (70.4 ± 5.1 years-old; BMI: 27.8 ± 4 Kg/m). MG architecture was evaluated at 30% of the distance between medial tibia condyle and medial malleolus, using a B-mode ultrasonography imaging device (Logiq Book-XP, General Eletric®) with a linear-array probe (50mm, 4cm of depth, 11 MHz). The ImageJ software was used to analyze MT (mean distance between deep and superficial aponeuroses), PA (angle of insertion of muscle fiber fascicles into the deep aponeurosis) and FL (fascicle length between the superior and deep aponeuroses). The concentric plantiflexors PT was evaluated by an isokinetic dynamometer (System4, Biodex®) with 30° of range of motion, three repetitions each set performed at 60°/s and 180°/s. To verify the association between variables the Pearson correlation test was used (p<0.05). The mean±SD were: MT=1.6 ± 0.2cm; PA=26.7 ± 3.4°; FL=3.8 ± 0.5cm; PT60°/s=39.8 ± 11.4Nm; PT180°/s 31 ± 9.2Nm. It was observed correlation between MT and PT60°/s (r=0.412, p=0.004); MT and PT180°/s (r=0.387, p=0.007); FL and PT60°/s (r=0.334, p=0.020). It can be concluded that the greater MG thickness and FL, the greater is the plantiflexors power and strength of community older women.