Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34579696›Full record

ArticleBMC musculoskeletal disorders2021

Age-related increase in muscle stiffness is muscle length dependent and associated with muscle force in senior females.

Jingfei Xu, Siu Ngor Fu, François Hug

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
25citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
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

25 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.

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  11. Knee Flexion Excursion Mediates the Association Between Quadriceps Stiffness and Knee Loads During the Mid-Stance Phase of Gait.Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society · 2025
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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

3 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Jingfei XuDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China.
Siu Ngor FuDepartment of Rehabilitation Sciences, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Yuk Choi Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China. amy.fu@polyu.edu.hk.
François HugUniversity of Nantes, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Laboratory "Movement, Interactions, Performance" (EA 4334), Nantes, France.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University · HKInstitut Universitaire de France · FRSichuan University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn aging, muscle stiffness is considered as one of the factors associated with the reduction of force generation capability. There have been inconsistent findings on age-related alteration in the passive stiffness of quadriceps muscle in the female adults. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of aging on the shear moduli of the superficial muscle heads of the quadriceps and to explore its relationship with knee extension force.

methodsPassive shear moduli of the rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL), and vastus medialis (VM) were measured at rest using shear wave elastography in 20 young and 20 senior female adults. Measurements were repeated at four knee joint positions, that is, 30°, 60°, 90°, and 105° of knee flexion. Maximal isometric voluntary knee extension force was assessed at 30°, 60°, and 90° of knee flexion.

resultsAs per our findings, senior adults were determined to have significantly higher passive muscle shear moduli in the RF (by 34% - 68%; all p < 0.05) and the VL muscle heads (by 13%-16%, all p < 0.05) at and beyond 60° of knee flexion. Age-related increase in the VM was evident at 105° knee flexion (by11%, p = 0.020). The RF shear modulus was negatively correlated to the maximal isometric voluntary contraction force measured at 60° (r =  - 0.485, p = 0.030) in senior adults.

conclusionsSenior female adults had greater passive stiffness at the superficial muscle heads of the quadriceps muscles when measured at long muscle length. Among the senior female adults, the passive stiffness of RF has been determined to have a negative association with the knee extensor force only at 60° knee flexion. No significant association was noted for other angles and muscles.

Indexed as

Isometric ContractionQuadriceps MuscleAdultElectromyographyFemaleHumansKneeKnee JointMuscle, SkeletalTorqueElastographyMuscle tensionPeak torqueQuadriceps femorisUltrasound

Identifiers

PMID34579696
PMCPMC8477537
OpenAlexW3203009419

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.