We have hosted an ISOT consensus meeting on the 6th of July at the recent European College of Sport Science congress in Vienna. All the members that were present supported the idea to form the ISOT journal with the name Advances in Skeletal Muscle Function Assessment. The final structure of the journal as attached has been approved by the ISOT Board. All the details will be available in the next few weeks.

Oscar García-García from the University of Vigo, an avid TMG user and founding member of the International Society of Tensiomyography (ISOT) has recently published a new article on a preseason neuromuscular assessment through TMG in the Annals of Sports Medicine and Research. The aim of this study was to determine the baseline neuromuscular TMG parameters of knee extensor and flexor muscles in amateur road cyclists and then calculate percentages for the lateral symmetry and functional symmetry. Twelve Spanish amateur road cyclists, category Elite, were considered (age 18.7 ± 0.7 years, body mass 68.0±8.2 kg, height 180.1±5.4 cm; fat 8.8±2.3%; maximal power output5.6±0.3 w/kg).The cyclists were assessed, with TMG, on the first days of the preseason, after a rest period of 3 weeks, at least 48 hours after performing any physical activity. A paired-samples test (p< .01) was applied, with a muscle being taken as an independent factor. No significant differences were observed between the dominant and non-dominant leg except in maximum radial displacement and contraction velocity of rectus femoris. The lateral symmetry percentages obtained were of about 82% in all muscles and functional symmetry percentages obtained were above 73%. This is due to higher contraction time (between 11.8 and 16.9 ms, p < .01) and lower contraction velocity (between 65.5 y 123.9 mm•s-1p < .01) of a cyclist´s biceps femoris above the knee extensor muscles. The neuromuscular evaluation of the principal muscles of pedaling at the beginning of the training season may set initial values of reference in theoretical absence of fatigue so that it becomes a tool that helps the coach to control and subsequently study the changes that occur due to the training loads and competition that the cyclist receives during different training cycles of the season. Moreover, in case of a muscle tendon injury, it would help to identify the anomalous values produced by the injury and carry out the monitoring of the recovery. You can download the article here.

Maryam Pourmajidian and her colleagues from the University of Malaya have, in cooperation with Glen M. Davis from the University of Sydney, presented the results of their research work on MC at the Functional Electrical Stimulation Society Annual Conference (IFESS), 2014 IEEE 19th International Conference. Their pilot investigation was conducted on the measurement of muscle performance during voluntary exercise using the MC-Sensor. Surface electromyography (sEMG) and the torque output from an isokinetic dynamometer were used as references for a comparative assessment of the MC-sensor data. Five able-bodied subjects performed isokinetic knee extension at 90 deg• s-1 and 120 deg• s-1. Correlation coefficients (r) between the muscle tension data from the MC-sensor, sEMG and Biodex were calculated using Microsoft Excel and a high correlation was observed with an average value of 0.82 to 0.91 at 90 deg• s1, and 0.77 to 0.90 at 120 deg• s-1, respectively. A stronger association was observed between the MC-sensor and Biodex, compared to MC-EMG and Biodex-EMG. This might be due to reported complications in achieving an accurate force-EMG ratio. However, further research is necessary to establish the reliability of the mechanomyogram sensors before muscle tension can be utilized as a proxy for muscle force during functional electrical stimulation (FES)-evoked exercise and/or functional movements. You can find more details here.

After an odd season in 2015/16, Manchester City F.C.is determined to pursue the Premiership title. In order to improve their RTP decisions and reduce muscle injuries, they have recently acquired our TMG S1 system. We hope that our innovative technology will help them achieve the much desired goal.

Tensiomyography (TMG) is a well-established method for the assessment of contractile muscle properties, however, its application for anterior cruciate ligament ACL injury prevention has not been elaborated in the past. In 2014, professor Cougat and his colleagues used TMG to assess the neuromuscular risk factors for an ACL injury in male soccer players. According to them, ACL injuries are likely the most common severe injuries in soccer, while their prevention is likely the most effective strategy to decrease undesired health-related consequences of the injured players. While it is almost impossible to objectively evaluate the neuromuscular risk factors for an ACL injury with standard methods, TMG enables us to do just that. The research based on TMG revealed that a decreased resistance to fatigue and muscle stiffness in the hamstring muscles may be a risk factor for an ACL injury in male soccer players. Furthermore, it has been shown that a predominant impairment in TMG characteristics of the quadriceps over hamstrings may indicate an altered muscular co-contraction (imbalance) between both muscle groups, which might be another risk factor for an ACL injury in male soccer players. On the basis of their findings, we can conclude that TMG provides useful and objective information for the ACL injury prevention.

After China, a patent for our MC diagnostic method has been granted also in Japan. We expect to obtain patents in other target markets in the following months.

Our experts have recently conducted a pre-season players’ evaluation of the winners of the Slovenian League in the 2015–16 season – NK Olimpija players – in order to create the exact muscle profile of each player. This will enable the coaching staff to individualize training routine during the preparation period on the basis of players’ characteristics.

The School of Health Sciences at the Tokyo University of Technology will use the TMG S1 technology for the research of muscle pathologies in the field of medicine. We look forward to seeing the results of their work and especially the clinical studies.

In order to take the most out of the pre-season, ‪‎a tensiomyographic‬ assessment of the HNK Hajduk Split players has been performed to individualize and improve their training routine.‬‬

Prof. Alexander Ferrauti from the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and his colleagues from the Ruhr University Bochum, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, and the Saarland University have recently published an article with the title “Muscle mechanical properties of strength and endurance athletes and changes after one week of intensive training” in the Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology. The study investigates whether tensiomyography (TMG) is sensitive enough to differentiate between strength and endurance athletes, and to monitor fatigue after one week of either intensive strength or endurance training. Their results indicate that TMG could be a useful tool to differentiate between strength and endurance athletes, and to monitor fatigue and recovery especially in strength training.