science

Tensiomyography

Tensiomyography is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Tensiomyography rather than just read about it. In short: Tensiomyography (TMG) is a measuring method for detection of skeletal muscles' contractile properties. Tensiomyography assesses muscle mechanical response based on radial muscle belly displacement induced by a single electrical stimulus.

Key takeaways

Tensiomyography belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Tensiomyography to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Tensiomyography from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Tensiomyography (TMG) is a measuring method for detection of skeletal muscles' contractile properties. Tensiomyography assesses muscle mechanical response based on radial muscle belly displacement induced by a single electrical stimulus. It is performed using the TMG S2 system. A tensiomyography measurement instrument includes an electrical stimulator and data acquisition subunit (1), a digital sensor (2), a tripod with manipulating hand (3), and muscle electrodes (4) that work with an essential software interface installed on a PC.

Method Tensiomyography is a non-invasive, evidence-based measurement method that precisely measures the speed of muscle contraction under isometric conditions. It is used in sports performance and rehabilitation, and in sports medicine and research, for instance. Tensiomyography data can be used to determine muscle fiber type (e.g., by comparing displacement signal and muscle histochemistry/ heavy chain myosin amount20) and muscle status/condition (e.g., fatigue, potentiation, inhibition, stress influence on the body, etc.), to diagnose functional muscular symmetry, either temporal or morphological, to evaluate muscular synchronization, and for fast detection (less than 5 minutes) of infra-clinical lesions in the muscles.

Procedure

A tensiomyography measurement consists of four steps:

A special sensor is placed on the muscle to be measured. The sensor contains a tip designed to register muscle's contraction. Muscle contraction is induced with twitch type (one millisecond) of surface electrical stimulus. Contraction of muscle under isometric conditions results in a muscle belly displacement. A tensiomyography sensor is connected to a computer running specially designed software that records displacement of sensor tip during the test and shows results on software interface in real time.

Tensiomyography recording Tensiomyography specific software on a 1 kHz frequency receives tensiomyography signals. Two supra-maximal responses are stored and then the average is calculated. The supra-maximal stimulation is regarded as corresponding to a minimal stimulation and it determines maximum amplitude of muscular deformation, recorded as Dm.

TMG method output is a displacement-time signal evaluated with standard parameters.

Parameters Delay time (Td) as a time between the electrical impulse and 10% of the contraction; Contraction time (Tc) as a time between 10% and 90% of the contraction; Sustain time (Ts) as a time between 50% of the contraction and 50% of the relaxation; Relaxation time (Tr) as a time between 90% and 50% of the relaxation; Maximal Displacement (Dm) Maximal displacement of the muscle contraction. Some recent studies have also elected to examine Contraction velocity (Vc) as a change in Dm over time between 10% and 90% of the contraction.

Tensiomyography use Tensiomyography is a simple to use selective and non-invasive method for detecting skeletal muscle contractile parameters using the linear displacement sensor. It assesses skeletal muscle thickening and low frequency lateral oscillations of active skeletal muscle fibers during twitch contractions. Future directions should be multidimensional: further validation especially with muscle force; increasing the research power of established theories; determining the trends of physiological processes and adaptations through longitudinal designs; characterizing muscle fatigue, and developing its application in dynamic muscle contractions. Tensiomyography was originally designed to be used by medical professionals but has transitioned from medicine, through sports medicine and is now being utilized in sports training programs and post injury rehabilitation quantification. Because of its non-invasive nature, tensiomyography provides rapid accurate diagnostic data without discomfort or disruption of the routine of the person whose muscles are being assessed. Tensiomyography was originally designed for optimization of rehabilitation processes in medicine. Moving on, tensiomyography is used in military, veterinary and most widely spread in the field of elite sports, especially where explosiveness is needed.

Sports Performance Tensiomyography can be applied in training optimization process to prevent negative effects of muscle asymmetry and asynchrony on athletes’ maximal speed, explosiveness, endurance and flexibility. Application of tensiomyography method identifies muscle pair asymmetry and asynchronous action in the kinetic chain, which decreases movement economy and increase injury risk. Tensiomyographic assessment identifies muscle dysfunctions to adjust training accordingly (activate, strengthen or release tension in specific muscles). The contractile characteristics of athletes' muscles from specific sports disciplines have been defined using tensiomyography, despite the fact that very few sports have been thoroughly researched.

Sports Medicine After an injury, tensiomyography can be used to determine injured muscle’s functional capacity by measuring individual muscle heads in isolation, providing unique and selective information. Data comparison with the uninjured contralateral muscle helps monitor early phase recovery. Measurement results help determine recovery of functional capacity so the most effective rehabilitation can be safely administered. During rehabilitation athletes can be assessed with tensiomyography for progress and rehabilitation strategy can be adjusted for faster rehabilitation.

Research Since its first scientific publication in 1990 more than 300 articles show tensiomyography use and purpose: in the estimation of muscle composition; for evaluating muscle atrophy; for measuring adaptation to different pathologies; for measuring adaptation to specific training; and for measuring muscle fatigue. Tensiomyography has been used in several research areas including acute muscle diagnostics, chronic muscle change diagnostics, local muscle fatigue and non-invasive determination of muscle fiber type composition.

International Society of Tensiomyography (ISOT) ISOT strives to support further development in the field of tensiomyography and standardize tensiomyographic methods while connecting tensiomyography users worldwide for know-how exchange and networking. ISOT was formed at a congress held in Rome on 24 October 2014.

History

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Tensiomyography: Tensiomyography measurement — Tensiomyography measurement

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tensiomyography

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tensiomyography claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Tensiomyography before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Tensiomyography ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Tensiomyography

In research: Tensiomyography appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Tensiomyography in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Tensiomyography is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Electrophysiology, Medical tests, Muscular system, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tensiomyography outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Tensiomyography in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Tensiomyography means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Tensiomyography out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tensiomyography in simple terms?

Why does Tensiomyography matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Tensiomyography?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Tensiomyography.