Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology
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To investigate the effects of soreness evoked by eccentric jaw exercises on two types of brainstem reflexes: the short-latency stretch reflex and the longer-latency exteroceptive suppression (ES), and to test for possible relationships between magnitude of soreness and reflex responses. ⋯ Experimentally induced acute muscle pain has previously been shown to influence both the ES and the jaw-stretch reflex, thus, different types of muscle pain and symptoms can be speculated to have different effects on a variety of brainstem reflexes.
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Twitch interpolation using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has recently been used to measure the level of drive from the motor cortex to contracting muscles of the upper and lower limbs, termed voluntary activation. It has yet to be used to assess voluntary activation in trunk muscles. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of using TMS to measure voluntary activation in back muscles. ⋯ The assessment of voluntary activation of the back muscles may aid our understanding of the mechanisms of alteration in control of these muscles implicated in chronic low back pain.