Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - British Volume · 1985 · 304 citations · 3 references
MedicineOrthopaedic SurgeryOrthopedic SurgeryAnkle AnatomyOrthopedic BiomechanicsOrthopedicsAnkle BiomechanicsAnkle MusclesAnkle TendonsLower Limb BiomechanicsTendon SurgeryTendon Transfer ProceduresAnkle Plantarflexor MusclesLower Extremity Tendon TransfersMuscle BalanceMuscle Fiber LengthMuscle LengtheningRelative Muscle StrengthRelative StrengthTendon Transfer Surgery
The study measured muscle fibre lengths and weights in five cadaveric lower limbs to compute each muscle’s relative strength and excursion. The results show that ankle plantarflexors are six times stronger than dorsiflexors, refuting the muscle‑balance concept in tendon transfer surgery and suggesting task‑appropriateness as a guide; the fixed link between fibre length and excursion explains why contractures reduce movement range, and tendon lengthening corrects deformity but does not restore active range.
The lower limbs of five cadavers were dissected and the lengths of the muscle fibres and the weights of all the muscles below the knee were measured. From this information the relative strength and excursion of each muscle was determined. We found that the plantarflexors of the ankle were six times as strong as the dorsiflexors. We have therefore discarded the concept of "muscle balance" in tendon transfer surgery and propose that task appropriateness should be the guide. The constant relationship between muscle fibre length and muscle excursion means that contractures are accompanied by decreased excursion. Tendon lengthening improves deformity but does not improve the decreased active range of movement.
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Muscle hypoextensibility in children with cerebral palsy: I. Clinical and experimental observations.
C Tardieu, Huet de la Tour E, Bret et al. · PubMed · 1982 · 181 citations
On Muscles of Full and of Short Action.