ArticlePhysiological reports2015
The stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) revisited: residual force enhancement contributes to increased performance during fast SSCs of human m. adductor pollicis.
Article in Physiological reports, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The Contraction Modalities in a Stretch-Shortening Cycle in Animals and Single Joint Movements in Humans: A Systematic Review.Journal of sports science & medicine · 2019Pooled it
- Stretch-shortening cycles mitigate single muscle fibre power deficits following a two-week immobilization of the rat hindlimb.Journal of muscle research and cell motility · 2026Article
- The association between motor unit behavior and joint power at early and late phases of concentric ankle dorsiflexions.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Article
- The Joint Mechanical Function and Control of the Front Leg During Cricket Fast Bowling: A 3D Motion Analysis Study.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Biomechanical adaptations of kicks following vertical and single-leg plyometric training in competitive Wushu sanda athletes: implications for lower-limb explosive power and balance.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Consecutive SSCs increase the SSC effect in skinned rat muscle fibres.Pflugers Archiv : European journal of physiology · 2025Article
- Modulation of stretch activation influences the stretch-shortening cycle effect in in vivo human knee extensors.Physiological reports · 2025Article
- Distinct morphological drivers of jumping and maneuvering performance in gerbils.The Journal of experimental biology · 2025Article
- Article
- The distinctive mechanical and structural signatures of residual force enhancement in myofibers.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024Article
- Decoupling of muscle-tendon unit and fascicle velocity contributes to the in vivo stretch-shortening cycle effect in the male human triceps surae muscle.Physiological reports · 2024Article
- Linking in vivo muscle dynamics to force-length and force-velocity properties reveals that guinea fowl lateral gastrocnemius operates at shorter than optimal lengths.The Journal of experimental biology · 2024Article
- LinkingbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2023Article
- Joint Coordination and Muscle-Tendon Interaction Differ Depending on The Level of Jumping Performance.Journal of sports science & medicine · 2023Article
- Enhancement of Muscle Shortening Torque Preloaded with Muscle Lengthening is Joint-Specific.Journal of human kinetics · 2023Article
- Reliable Peak Power Assessment During Concentric and Flexion-Extension-Cycle Based Rowing Strokes using a Non-Modified Rowing Ergometer.Journal of sports science & medicine · 2022Article
- Perception of effort during an isometric contraction is influenced by prior muscle lengthening or shortening.European journal of applied physiology · 2021Article
- The effect of stretch-shortening magnitude and muscle-tendon unit length on performance enhancement in a stretch-shortening cycle.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Editorial: The Stretch-Shortening Cycle of Active Muscle and Muscle-Tendon Complex: What, Why and How It Increases Muscle Performance?Frontiers in physiology · 2021Article
- Power Amplification Increases With Contraction Velocity During Stretch-Shortening Cycles of Skinned Muscle Fibers.Frontiers in physiology · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) occurs in most everyday movements, and is thought to provoke a performance enhancement of the musculoskeletal system. However, mechanisms of this performance enhancement remain a matter of debate. One proposed mechanism is associated with a stretch-induced increase in steady-state force, referred to as residual force enhancement (RFE). As yet, direct evidence relating RFE to increased force/work during SSCs is missing. Therefore, forces of electrically stimulated m. adductor pollicis (n = 14 subjects) were measured during and after pure stretch, pure shortening, and stretch-shortening contractions with varying shortening amplitudes. Active stretch (30°, ω = 161 ± 6°s(-1)) caused significant RFE (16%, P < 0.01), whereas active shortening (10°, 20°, and 30°; ω = 103 ± 3°s(-1), 152 ± 5°s(-1), and 170 ± 5°s(-1)) resulted in significant force depression (9-15%, P < 0.01). In contrast, after SSCs (that is when active stretch preceded active shortening) no force depression was found. Indeed for our specific case in which the shortening amplitude was only 1/3 of the lengthening amplitude, there was a remnant RFE (10%, P < 0.01) following the active shortening. This result indicates that the RFE generated during lengthening affected force depression when active lengthening was followed by active shortening. As conventional explanations, such as the storage and release of elastic energy, cannot explain the enhanced steady-state force after SSCs, it appears that the stretch-induced RFE is not immediately abolished during shortening and contributes to the increased force and work during SSCs.
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