Tissue Laxity and its Influence On Power of Muscle

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Abstract
Tissue laxity and softness of thenar musculature was investigated in 5 males and 10 females with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. The subjects varied from 14 to 67 years of age. A function test consisting of a pinching action of the thumb against the forefinger was used. The pressure thus evoked was transmitted directly to and registered by an apparatus and the course visualized on a graph by means of a printer. The maximum contraction force of the muscle has been investigated with respect to (1) normal conditions and (2) when the muscle during its contraction was prevented from swelling freely by lifting up a fold of skin in the immediate vicinity of the muscle. The fold was held steadily back during the muscle contraction, thus, attaining a sort of shrinking of the muscle compartment. The latter procedure, in conditions existing during the experiments, as well as individuals showing muscle laxity, produced a greater contraction power of the muscle. The reasons for the finding are discussed, the apparatus described and illustrated, and the forms of graphs obtained shown in photographs. The results are presented in tabular form. Bibliography contains 11 references.

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