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Fluctuations in plantar flexion force are reduced after prolonged tendon vibration

¹Department of Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153; ²Department of Health Sciences, Oita University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Oita 870, Japan; ³Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309; and ⁴Department of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama 359, Japan

Submitted 28 May 2004 ; accepted in final form 14 July 2004

The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of prolonged vibration on the force fluctuations during a force-matching task performed at low-force levels. Fourteen young healthy men performed a submaximal force-matching task of isometric plantar flexion before and after Achilles tendon vibration (n = 8, vibration subjects) or lying without vibration (n = 6, control subjects) for 30 min. The target forces were 2.5–10% of the previbration maximal voluntary contraction force. The standard deviation of force decreased by a mean of 29 ± 20% across target forces after vibration, whereas it did not decrease significantly in control subjects (–5 ± 12%). This change was significantly greater compared with control subjects (P < 0.01 for both). Power spectral density of the force was predominantly composed of signals of low-frequency bandwidth (5 Hz) with few higher frequency components. In vibration subjects, there was a significant decrease in power in the frequency range 2 Hz after vibration. The decrease in power at this frequency range was linearly related to the decrease in the force fluctuations (r = 0.96, P < 0.001). The results indicate that prolonged Achilles tendon vibration reduces the fluctuations in plantar flexion force in the frequency range 2 Hz during low-level contractions. It suggests that Ia afferent inputs contribute to the low-frequency force fluctuations in plantar flexion.

steadiness; motor control; Ia afferents

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