Article

Tendon reflexes are widely used in clinics to conveniently evaluate various
neurological disorders. This study characterized neuromuscular dynamics of tendon
reflexes at the elbow with multiple quantitative measures in both patients with
stroke and nondisabled controls. We employed a handheld instrumented hammer to
tap the triceps muscle tendon at various elbow flexion angles and measured the
tapping force, triceps electromyography, and elbow extension torque to
characterize neuromuscular dynamics of tendon reflexes quantitatively in terms of
the tendon reflex gain, contraction rate, half relaxation rate, reflex loop
delay, and reflex threshold in tapping force. We found that the tendon reflex
gain, contraction rate, and half relaxation rate were significantly higher while
the reflex threshold was significantly lower across different joint angles in
patients with stroke than in nondisabled controls (p < 0.05), indicating
hyperactive neurological state and muscle contraction dynamics poststroke. This
study presents a convenient and quantitative method to evaluate reflex
excitability and muscle contraction dynamics.

Langue : ANGLAIS