Abstract
Biarticular muscles have traditionally been considered to exhibit homogeneous neuromuscular activation. The regional activation of biarticular muscles, as revealed from high-density surface electromyograms, seems however to discredit this notion. We thus hypothesize the regional activation of biarticular muscles may contribute to different actions about the joints they span. We then discuss the mechanistic basis and methodological implications underpinning our hypothesis.
Highlights
Biarticular muscle action has been widely investigated in the research areas of human movements
We provide guidance on how to conduct surface electromyography of the biarticular muscles to minimize misinterpretation of the findings because of their region-specific neuromuscular activation
We showed that cutaneous electrical stimulation at femoral and posterior tibial nerves elicits region-specific action potentials along the rectus femoris (RF) and medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscles [48,59]. These findings suggest that motor units with territories located in proximal and distal regions of the RF and MG muscles may be independently controlled, presumably according to their functional roles at the spinal cord level or upstream of motor neuron
Summary
Kohei; Vieira, Taian Martins; Gallina, Alessio; Kouzaki, Motoki; Moritani, Toshio. Document Version Publisher's PDF, known as Version of record Citation for published version (Harvard): Watanabe, K, Vieira, TM, Gallina, A, Kouzaki, M & Moritani, T 2021, 'Novel insights into bi-articular muscle actions gained from high-density EMG', Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, vol 49, no.
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