Neuromuscular Markers of High Performance Sport Preparation: Muscle Contractile Mechanics

Abstract

Assessments of skeletal muscle functional capacity or bilateral muscular asymmetry often necessitate maximal contractile effort, which exacerbates muscle fatigue or injury. Tensiomyography (TMG) has been investigated in laboratory settings, as a means to assess muscle contractile function following fatigue; however observations have not been contextualised by concurrent physiological measures. TMG has more sparingly been applied in the field, with elite athletes. The aim of this thesis was to examine acute alterations and underlying variations in muscle contractile mechanics, through the application of TMG, contextualised with established physiological measures; and to apply TMG within high performance sports programmes. TMG successfully detected fatigue, evident from reduced strength, by displaying impaired muscle displacement, accompanied by elevated resting muscle tension. Greater asymmetry was detected in individuals with asymmetric strength; however, symmetry was masked during more complex tasks. Increased day-to-day variability was detected among highly trained athletes compared to recreationally active individuals. Acute training adaptations were detected, in contractile mechanics, in individual muscles. TMG could be useful in establishing fatigue status of skeletal muscle without exacerbating the functional decrements of the muscle, whilst also providing useful screening information for detecting asymmetry which may not be apparent during functional actions.