Voluntary isometric contractions at maximal shortening as a new technique to achieve neuromuscular re-education in healthy subjects

Background: objectives: Neuromuscular re-education has focused on improving motor activities in patients with pathologies by retraining the nervous system. However, this has not yet been investigated in healthy individuals. Voluntary isometric contractions at maximal muscle shortening (VICAMS) is a...

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Main Authors: Julio-Artemi Hernández-Trujillo, María-Dolores González-Rivera, Jorge M. González-Hernández
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1728869X24000807
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author Julio-Artemi Hernández-Trujillo
María-Dolores González-Rivera
Jorge M. González-Hernández
author_facet Julio-Artemi Hernández-Trujillo
María-Dolores González-Rivera
Jorge M. González-Hernández
author_sort Julio-Artemi Hernández-Trujillo
collection DOAJ
description Background: objectives: Neuromuscular re-education has focused on improving motor activities in patients with pathologies by retraining the nervous system. However, this has not yet been investigated in healthy individuals. Voluntary isometric contractions at maximal muscle shortening (VICAMS) is a new technique with the same objective. This study aimed to investigate the chronic effects of these techniques on range of motion, strength, and vertical jump. Methods: Sixty healthy, recreationally active participants (mean age: 46.4 ± 5.5), were randomly assigned to three groups (VICAMS, ballistic stretching, and control) who were trained for eight weeks. To assess chronic effects, active range of motion, maximal isometric strength, and countermovement jump height were determined before and after the intervention. Results: Main effects of time and time∗group interactions were found for all variables (p < 0.001). Between-group differences were observed in the VICAMS group after the intervention, with significantly higher flexibility and strength values compared to the other groups. Intra-group differences were observed in the VICAMS and ballistic groups, as the values for all variables increased from baseline. In the VICAMS group, increases were observed in both flexibility (19.15 %) and strength (47.63 %). Increases in flexibility (2.59 %) and strength (1.84 %) were also observed in the ballistic group. For jumping, intra-group differences showed that both the VICAMS (16.56 %) and ballistic (4.34 %) groups had improved values compared to baseline values. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that VICAMS is an effective, simple, and inexpensive alternative to conventional training methods for improving flexibility and strength in rehabilitation.
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spelling doaj-art-ed6c245d19094f79ba976e4c6c31e6c72025-02-06T05:11:24ZengElsevierJournal of Exercise Science & Fitness1728-869X2025-01-012314250Voluntary isometric contractions at maximal shortening as a new technique to achieve neuromuscular re-education in healthy subjectsJulio-Artemi Hernández-Trujillo0María-Dolores González-Rivera1Jorge M. González-Hernández2Universidad de Alcalá, Facultad de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; BioReed Lab, Tenerife, Canarias, Spain; Corresponding author. C/ Murillo, 5, La Orotava, Tenerife, 38300, SpainUniversidad de Alcalá, Facultad de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, SpainFaculty of Health Sciences, EVOPRED Research Group, Universidad Europea de Canarias, La Orotava, Tenerife, SpainBackground: objectives: Neuromuscular re-education has focused on improving motor activities in patients with pathologies by retraining the nervous system. However, this has not yet been investigated in healthy individuals. Voluntary isometric contractions at maximal muscle shortening (VICAMS) is a new technique with the same objective. This study aimed to investigate the chronic effects of these techniques on range of motion, strength, and vertical jump. Methods: Sixty healthy, recreationally active participants (mean age: 46.4 ± 5.5), were randomly assigned to three groups (VICAMS, ballistic stretching, and control) who were trained for eight weeks. To assess chronic effects, active range of motion, maximal isometric strength, and countermovement jump height were determined before and after the intervention. Results: Main effects of time and time∗group interactions were found for all variables (p < 0.001). Between-group differences were observed in the VICAMS group after the intervention, with significantly higher flexibility and strength values compared to the other groups. Intra-group differences were observed in the VICAMS and ballistic groups, as the values for all variables increased from baseline. In the VICAMS group, increases were observed in both flexibility (19.15 %) and strength (47.63 %). Increases in flexibility (2.59 %) and strength (1.84 %) were also observed in the ballistic group. For jumping, intra-group differences showed that both the VICAMS (16.56 %) and ballistic (4.34 %) groups had improved values compared to baseline values. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that VICAMS is an effective, simple, and inexpensive alternative to conventional training methods for improving flexibility and strength in rehabilitation.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1728869X24000807Ballistic stretchingIsometric trainingMaximal strengthNeuromuscular re-educationShortened muscle position
spellingShingle Julio-Artemi Hernández-Trujillo
María-Dolores González-Rivera
Jorge M. González-Hernández
Voluntary isometric contractions at maximal shortening as a new technique to achieve neuromuscular re-education in healthy subjects
Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness
Ballistic stretching
Isometric training
Maximal strength
Neuromuscular re-education
Shortened muscle position
title Voluntary isometric contractions at maximal shortening as a new technique to achieve neuromuscular re-education in healthy subjects
title_full Voluntary isometric contractions at maximal shortening as a new technique to achieve neuromuscular re-education in healthy subjects
title_fullStr Voluntary isometric contractions at maximal shortening as a new technique to achieve neuromuscular re-education in healthy subjects
title_full_unstemmed Voluntary isometric contractions at maximal shortening as a new technique to achieve neuromuscular re-education in healthy subjects
title_short Voluntary isometric contractions at maximal shortening as a new technique to achieve neuromuscular re-education in healthy subjects
title_sort voluntary isometric contractions at maximal shortening as a new technique to achieve neuromuscular re education in healthy subjects
topic Ballistic stretching
Isometric training
Maximal strength
Neuromuscular re-education
Shortened muscle position
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1728869X24000807
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