Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34053343›Full record

Trial reportSports health

Effects of Clenching Strength on Exercise Performance: Verification Using Spinal Function Assessments.

Ryo Hirabayashi, Mutsuaki Edama, Arisa Saito, Yuki Yamada, Ryohei Nawa, Hideaki Onishi

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Sports health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Effects of Clenching Strength on Step Reaction Time.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Ryo HirabayashiInstitute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9698-9276
Mutsuaki EdamaInstitute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan.
Arisa SaitoInstitute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan.
Yuki YamadaInstitute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan.
Ryohei NawaInstitute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan.
Hideaki OnishiInstitute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis study aimed to determine the relationship between exercise performance and spinal function based on clenching strength. HYPOTHESIS: Low-intensity clenching contributes to joint movement, whereas high-intensity clenching contributes to joint fixation. STUDY

designRandomized crossover trial. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3.

methodsTwo experiments were conducted using 2 groups of 20 healthy adults. The 4 clenching conditions in experiment 1 were 0%, 12.5%, 25%, and 50% of the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) of the masseter muscle. Experiment 2 consisted of 3 conditions: no-bite condition, moderate effort, and maximum effort (max condition). In experiment 1, spinal function and ankle dorsiflexion tasks were measured for each clenching condition, and the ankle dorsiflexion task was measured in experiment 2. Regarding spinal function, we measured spinal reciprocal inhibition (RI) and excitability of spinal anterior horn cells. For the ankle dorsiflexion task, ankle dorsiflexion MVC was performed for 3 seconds under each clenching condition. The items analyzed were reaction time, peak ankle dorsiflexion torque, and soleus (Sol)/tibialis anterior (TA) electromyography (EMG) ratio.

resultsThe results of experiment 1 illustrated that RI was significantly attenuated or eliminated with increasing clenching strength (>25% MVC). Spinal anterior horn cell excitability increased significantly with increasing clenching strength. The peak torque was significantly higher at 50% MVC than that at 0% MVC. In experiment 2, the peak torque was significantly higher under moderate and max conditions than no-bite condition, and the Sol/TA EMG ratio was significantly higher under max condition than that under moderate condition. CONCLUSION/CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The results illustrated that during high-strength clenching (≥50% MVC), antagonist muscles are activated simultaneously to increase muscle strength. High-strength clenching improved kinetic performance (joint fixation), whereas low-strength clenching (<50% MVC) enhanced exercise performance (joint movement).

Indexed as

ExerciseMuscle, SkeletalAdultElectromyographyHumansMuscle ContractionReaction TimeTorqueelectrical stimulationelectromyographyH-reflexmasseter muscleM wave

Identifiers

PMID34053343
PMCPMC9112714

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.