Medial gastrocnemius specific force of adult men with spastic cerebral palsy

Hussain, AW, Onambele, GL, Williams, AG and Morse, CI (2017) Medial gastrocnemius specific force of adult men with spastic cerebral palsy. Muscle & Nerve, 56 (2). pp. 298-306. ISSN 0148-639X

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Abstract

Introduction: Muscle weakness determines functional impairment in spastic cerebral palsy (SCP). Measurement of specific force (SF) allows for strength comparison with unimpaired populations (controls) accounting for neural (activation and coactivation), architectural (fascicle length and pennation angle), and structural differences (moment arm length). Methods. Medial gastrocnemius (MG) SF (and its determinants) was assessed in both paretic and non-paretic legs of 11 men with SCP and 11 age-matched controls during plantarflexion maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC). Results. SCP fascicles were 28% longer than controls (P<0.05). Pennation angle of SCP was 41% smaller than controls. The PCSA of SCP MG was 47% smaller than controls (P<0.05). There was no difference in SF between controls and SCP. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.