Maximal Neuromuscular Capacities: Relevance to Daily Function and Athletic Performance

About this Research Topic

Background

Performance of several functional movement tasks in both daily life activities and sport activities are typically limited by the human's ability to generate maximal mechanical outputs such as force, power, or speed. Therefore, the assessment of maximal capacities of the neuromuscular system is essential for various purposes, such as identifying performance-limiting factors, exploring the intrinsic risk factors of injuries, monitoring the effects of training and rehabilitation programs and therapeutic interventions, comparisons among the individuals and groups, and evaluating the progression of the diseases that affect neuromuscular functioning. It has been routinely tested by performing different movement tasks under various loading and mechanical conditions such as isometric, isotonic, and isokinetic.

This Research Topic aims to improve the understanding of the methodology of assessing the human's ability to generate maximal mechanical outputs, and to expand the knowledge of interventions used to enhance this ability. The topic encourages publishing high-quality research related to exploring the various assessments methods and related biomechanical variables such as maximum force, rate of force development or relaxation, power, speed, force-velocity scaling factors to training, rehabilitation and therapeutic interventions, detraining, fatigue, aging, and neurological diseases. This Research Topic is mainly interested in applied articles investigating interventions designed to improve or optimize neuromuscular properties underpinning maximal mechanical outputs, that could positively impact functional performance from daily life or sport. The articles that evaluate novel assessment methods or protocols, calculation and normalization methods, or other improvements of routine testing procedures in this area are also welcomed.

We welcome Original Research, Review Articles, Case Studies, Clinical Trials, Systematic Reviews, and Meta-Analyses including, but not limited to, topics such as:
- Interventions designed to improve the maximal mechanical outputs in various populations (e.g. athletes, elderly, people with neuromuscular disorders) and contexts (e.g. athletic performance, activities of daily living);
- Assessment methods for detecting aging- or neuromuscular disorder-related changes in the maximal capacities of neuromuscular system;
- Gender related differences in the maximal capacities of neuromuscular system;
- The relationship between maximal neuromuscular capacities and performance of daily activities or success in sport;
- Injury related changes in the maximal capacities of neuromuscular system and related mechanical outputs;
- Fatigue and recovery-related changes in the maximal neuromuscular capacities;
- Optimal training loads for developing maximal force, velocity, and power;
- Developing and evaluating methods or techniques used for the assessment of the maximal neuromuscular capacities;
- Body size normalization techniques for the testing of the maximal neuromuscular capacities.

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Keywords: muscle capacity, performance, athletes, neurological disease, neuromuscular control

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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