Game-play affects hamstring but not adductor muscle fibre mechanics in elite U20 basketball athletes.

Muscle tendon unit fibre mechanics of hamstring and adductor strain injuries are not well studied, with factors such as fatigue promoted as risk factors in the absence of mechanistic evidence. In this study, musculoskeletal modelling was used to estimate fibre mechanics of four hamstring (biceps femoris long head, biceps femoris short head, semimembranosus and semitendinosus) and four adductor (adductor brevis, adductor longus, adductor magnus and gracilis) muscles during an anticipated cut task. The cut task was performed by 10 healthy elite male U20 basketball players both before and immediately after they played in one (of four) competitive basketball game.

Is subject-specific musculoskeletal modelling worth the extra effort or is generic modelling worth the shortcut?

The majority of musculoskeletal modelling studies investigating healthy populations use generic models linearly scaled to roughly match an individual's anthropometry. Generic models disregard the considerable variation in musculoskeletal geometry and tissue properties between individuals. This study investigated the physiological implications of personalizing musculoskeletal model geometry (body segment mass, inertia, joint center, and maximum isometric muscle force).

Development of a deep neural network for automated electromyographic pattern classification.

Determining the signal quality of surface electromyography (sEMG) recordings is time consuming and requires the judgement of trained observers. An automated procedure to evaluate sEMG quality would streamline data processing and reduce time demands. This paper compares the performance of two supervised and three unsupervised artificial neural networks (ANNs) in the evaluation of sEMG quality.