Claire Minshull

• PhD
• Leeds Beckett University

This study investigated the effects of hypohydration by fluid restriction on voluntary and evoked indices of neuromuscular performance at a functional joint angle. Measures of static volitional peak force (2–3–s maximal muscle actions) and evoked peak twitch force, electromechanical delay, and rate of force development were obtained from the knee e...

Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) aims to restore hyaline cartilage. Traditionally ACI rehabilitation is prescribed in a concurrent (CON) format However, it is well known from studies in asymptomatic populations that CON training produces an interference effect that can attenuate strength gains. Strength is integral to joint function, adopt...

Objective: to systematically review the available evidence of the role of vitamin D on neuromuscular remodelling following exercise conditioning, exercise- or experimentally induced injury. We searched Medline (OVID platform), PubMed, Embase and Web of Science for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) including measures of neuromuscular function, in...

Objective: To evaluate the methodological quality of resistance training interventions for the management of knee osteoarthritis. Data sources: A search of the literature for studies published up to 10(th) August 2015 was performed on Medline (OVID platform), PubMed, EMBase and PEDRo databases. Search terms associated with 'osteoarthritis'; 'kne...

PurposeTo investigate the effects of cross-education (CE) exercise on strength and performance at 10 and 24 weeks post anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery.Methods Design: randomised controlled trial. N = 44 ACL-reconstruction patients, randomly-allocated into: CE: strength training of the non-operative limb, or CON: sham exercise of upper limb...

Whether we’re dealing with the high-performance professional athlete, or the recreational sports performer, injury can mean the undesirable cessation of training, or performance, or both. The aim of any subsequent sports rehabilitation programme is to enable the performer to return to sports, safely, effectively and ideally, as quickly as possible....

β-alanine (BA) supplementation improves human exercise performance. One possible explanation for this is an enhancement of muscle contractile properties, occurring via elevated intramuscular carnosine resulting in improved calcium sensitivity and handling. This study investigated the effect of BA supplementation on in vivo contractile properties an...

Abstract Purpose Females are known to exhibit a greater risk of ACL injury compared to males. Lower explosive hamstrings-to-quadriceps (H/Q) force ratio in the first 150 ms from activation onset could reflect an impaired capacity for knee joint stabilisation and increased risk of ACL injury. However, the explosive H/Q force ratio has not been compa...

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of two modes of antecedent flexibility conditioning on neuromuscular and sensorimotor performance during a subsequent episode of exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). Twenty-four males (age 20.9 ± 2.3 years; height 1.78 ± 0.06 m; body mass 72.3 ± 7.4 kg, mean ± SD) were randomly assigned to intervent...

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of two modes of antecedent flexibility conditioning on neuromuscular and sensorimotor performance during a subsequent episode of exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). Twenty-four males (age 20.9 ± 2.3 years; height 1.78 ± 0.06 m; body mass 72.3 ± 7.4 kg, mean ± SD) were randomly assigned to intervent...

Explosive neuromuscular performance refers to the ability to rapidly increase force in response to neuromuscular activation. Lower explosive force production of the hamstrings relative to the quadriceps could compromise knee joint stability and increase the risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury. However, the time course of the rise in explosive...

The purpose of this study was to assess changes in psychophysiological fitness following reconstructive knee surgery and early phase (2.5 months) physical rehabilitation. Nine patients (7 male, 2 female; mean age, 29.9 years) electing to undergo anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery (central third, bone-patella tendon-bone graft) were a...

Introduction: A low ratio of hamstrings-to-quadriceps (H/Q) strength is suggested to increase the risk of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury [1]. The time available to develop force to stabilise the knee and prevent injury during landing and turning movements may be a little as 50 ms [2], which is considerably less than the time re...

Introduction Rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a potentially career-threatening injury for sports performers, invariably requiring reconstructive surgery to restore knee function (1). The consequences of ACL injury involve considerable temporal and fiscal costs (3) to rehabilitate the patient and restore function to the knee. Conc...

Abstract The effects of flexibility conditioning on neuromuscular and sensorimotor performance were assessed near to full knee extension (25°). Eighteen males who were randomly assigned into two groups underwent eight weeks (three-times per week) of flexibility conditioning (hip region/knee flexor musculature; dominant limb) involving either propri...

This study examined the concurrent effects of exercise-induced muscle damage and superimposed acute fatigue on the neuromuscular activation performance of the knee flexors of nine males (age: 26.7 ± 6.1 years; height 1.81 ± 0.05 m; body mass 81.2 ± 11.7 kg [mean±s]). Measures were obtained during three experimental conditions: (i) 'fatigue-muscle d...

The aims of this study were (1) to investigate the relationship between self-perception of effort and task duration in an intermittent isometric fatigue trial (IIF) and (2) to evaluate the capability of two assessment paradigms (perceived exertion; perceived task duration) to reflect changes in IIF intensity. Fifteen participants performed two IIF...

The purpose of the study was to investigate sex-related differences in explosive muscular force production, as measured by electromechanical delay (EMD) and rate of force development (RFD), and to examine the physiological mechanisms responsible for any differences. The neuromuscular performance of untrained males (n = 20) and females (n = 20) was...

The effects of serial episodes of fatigue and recovery on volitional and magnetically evoked neuromuscular performance of the knee flexors were assessed in 20 female soccer players during: (i) an intervention comprising 4 × 35 s maximal static exercise, and (ii) a control condition. Volitional peak force was impaired progressively (-16% vs. baselin...

This study examined the acute effects of whole-body vibration (WBV) on knee joint position sense and indices of neuromuscular function, specifically strength, electromechanical delay and the rate of force development. Electromyography and electrically evoked contractions were used to investigate neural and contractile responses to WBV. Fourteen hea...

This study examined the volitional and magnetically-evoked neuromuscular performance of the quadriceps femoris at functional knee joint angles adjacent to full extension. Indices of volitional and magnetically-evoked neuromuscular performance (N=15 healthy males, 23.5 ± 2.9 years, 71.5 ± 5.4 kg, 176.5 ± 5.5 cm) were obtained at 25°, 35° and 45° of...

AIM: Optimal functioning of skeletal muscle is considered fundamental to the capability for stabilisation of synovial joints and prevention of musculoskeletal injury, particularly at extended joint positions that correspond to positions of vulnerability and joint injury. The purpose of this study was to examine the fatigue-related volitional and ma...

Peripheral magnetic stimulation (MS) has become popular in estimating neuromuscular performance capacity in healthy and in clinical populations to evaluate the effects of exercise and where traditional volitional testing is not appropriate[1,3,4,5]. Indices of knee-extensor volitional and magnetically-evoked neuromuscular performance (N= 8 healthy...

This study documents intra-session and inter-day reproducibility (coefficient of variation [V%]) and single measurement reliability (intra-class correlations [R(I)]; standard error of a single measurement [SEM%] [95% confidence limits]) of indices of neuromuscular performance elicited during peripheral nerve magnetic stimulation. Twelve adults (fiv...

Knee flexors that function optimally are considered fundamental to the dynamic stabilisation of the knee joint and to the prevention of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury (Johannson et al., 1991). Following unaccustomed high-intensity eccentric exercise skeletal muscle is susceptible to ultrastructural damage (Brockett et al., 2002); functiona...

The results suggested that shoulder joint proprioception is negatively affected by muscle fatigue which may be of particular importance in high intensity upper body sports such as white water kayaking.

Neuromuscular performance capabilities, including those measured by evoked responses, may be adversely affected by fatigue; however, the capability of the neuromuscular system to initiate muscle force rapidly under these circumstances is yet to be established. Sex-differences in the acute responses of neuromuscular performance to exercise stress ma...