Voluntary activation of the ankle dorsiflexors is overestimated using the interpolated twitch technique with electrical stimulation.

Brady M Valeriote, Alexander M Zero, Geoffrey A Power

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Article in European journal of applied physiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

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3 authors.

Brady M ValerioteNeuromechanical Performance Research Laboratory, Department of Human Health Sciences, College of Biological Sciences, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, Canada.

Alexander M ZeroNeuromechanical Performance Research Laboratory, Department of Human Health Sciences, College of Biological Sciences, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7962-4147

Geoffrey A PowerNeuromechanical Performance Research Laboratory, Department of Human Health Sciences, College of Biological Sciences, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, Canada. gapower@uoguelph.ca.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The interpolated twitch technique (ITT) is often used to assess voluntary activation (VA); however, its effectiveness depends on the muscle tested. Using single pulse stimulation, VA of the dorsiflexors is overestimated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether using a doublet provides a more sensitive measure of VA in the dorsiflexors. Participants (n = 14, 7 females) performed isometric dorsiflexion contractions in a 45º plantar-flexed position from 10 to 100% maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) with fibular nerve stimulation superimposed using either a single pulse or doublet (100 Hz). Independent of sex, a single pulse induced greater estimates of VA at 20 and 30% MVIC compared to doublets (both P<0.001). Independent of pulse number, females demonstrated higher VA compared to males at 10 and 20% MVIC despite contracting at the same relative intensity (all P<0.01). With single pulses and doublets combined, VA was linearly correlated with MVIC (%) (r = 0.83, P < 0.001); however, this relationship was better fit to a negative exponential function (r

Indexed as

DorsiflexionElectrical stimulationInterpolated twitch techniqueSuperimposed twitchVoluntary activation

Identifiers

PMID42709149

DOI10.1152/jn.00173.2025

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