Successful reactive balance control requires coordinated modulation of hip, knee, and ankle torques. Stabilizing joint torques arise from neurally-mediated feedforward tonic muscle activation that modulates muscle short-range stiffness, which provides instantaneous "mechanical feedback" to the perturbation. In contrast, neural feedback pathways activate muscles in response to sensory input, generating joint torques after a delay.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: As people with cystic fibrosis (PWCF) live longer due to the breakthrough drug elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor (ETI), they have questioned whether other CF therapies could be safely discontinued. SIMPLIFY was the first prospective, randomized trial to evaluate non-inferiority of discontinuing versus continuing two therapies. The QUEST (Qualitative Understanding of Experiences in the SIMPLIFY Trial) study was conducted to understand experiences of PWCF enrolled in SIMPLIFY, including why they joined, perceptions of randomization, decision-making around study withdrawal, and considerations for future discontinuation studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe mechanisms responsible for increased metabolic cost of walking in older adults are poorly understood. We recently proposed a theoretical premise by which age-related reductions in Achilles tendon stiffness (k) can disrupt the neuromechanics of calf muscle force production and contribute to faster rates of oxygen consumption during walking. The purpose of this study was to objectively evaluate this premise.
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