Electromyographic patterns of the rat hindlimb in response to muscle stretch after spinal cord injury.

Study Design: Experimental Study.

Objectives: To characterize the specific hindlimb electromyographic (EMG) patterns in response to muscle stretch and to measure the applied forces during stretching in the rat model of moderate SCI.

Setting: Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, Louisville, KY, USA.

Dynamic "Range of Motion" Hindlimb Stretching Disrupts Locomotor Function in Rats with Moderate Subacute Spinal Cord Injuries.

Joint contractures and spasticity are two common secondary complications of a severe spinal cord injury (SCI), which can significantly reduce quality of life, and stretching is one of the top strategies for rehabilitation of these complications. We have previously shown that a daily static stretching protocol administered to rats at either acute or chronic time points after a moderate or moderate-severe T10 SCI significantly disrupts their hindlimb locomotor function. The objective of the current study was to examine the effects of dynamic range of motion (ROM) stretching on the locomotor function of rats with SCI as an alternative to static stretching.