Work

Cross-limb transfer during isometric plantar flexion familiarization

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study examined the number of contractions required for an isometric plantar flexion familiarization. Twenty-six males were separated into two independent Groups: Group A: where five contractions were initiated on the dominant limb (right) followed by the contralateral limb; and Group B, initiated by the non-dominant limb (left) followed by the dominant limb. Participants carried out a 5-s maximum voluntary contraction (MVC), with an interpolated twitch administered to the tibial nerve. In Group A, both the dominant and non-dominant limbs required two contractions for familiarization, whereas in Group B, the dominant limb required two contractions, and the non-dominant limb required three (p < 0.05). A strong relationship between MVC and voluntary activation (VA) was observed in Group A for the D (r = 0.91, p < 0.05) and in Group B for the ND limb (r = 0.99, p < 0.05). The results demonstrated evidence of cross-limb transfer from the dominant to the non-dominant limb (p < 0.05). This phenomenon implicates central involvement, substantiated by VA responses that mirror the changes in MVC. Practitioners and researchers should consider the impact of cross-limb transfer during a single familiarization session when assessing strength to avoid overestimation of the gains. Future cross-education/cross-limb transfer studies could investigate the central mechanisms involved during familiarization.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-93626-w

Authors: Logeswary Krisnan, Ashril Yusof, Suresh Marathamuthu, Victor Selvarajah Selvanayagam

Institutions: Ministry of Health, University of Malaya, National Institutes of Health, Institut Sukan Negara

Language: English

Topic: Muscle activation and electromyography studies

Subfield: Biomedical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,690