COMPARISON OF TWO METHODS TO CALCULATE PASSIVE MUSCLE STIFFNESS IN HUMAN

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to compare and to correlate the results of two methods of calculating the muscle-tendon unit stiffness. Eighteen male and 18 female healthy students performed a hamstring passive stretch at 5º/s until maximum range of motion (ROM) was reached. Angle and passive torque were measured throughout the stretch maneuver and passive stiffness was calculated using two different parts of the torque angle curve. Passive stiffness was then named stiffness10% and stiffnessIII, based on the part of the curve used for calculation of stiffness. Results showed no significant difference between both methods of calculating passive stiffness and a significant high correlation coefficient between stiffness10% and stiffnessIII. StiffnessIII method seems more reliable because of lower dispersion.