The ability of humans to move effectively and safely through a variety of complex environmental conditions is one of the most critical factors for independent living. In this context a coordinated motion of the body limbs in a task-specific manner with high temporal and spatial diversity affects the quality of life over the lifespan. Regular exercise triggers important adaptive responses in the neural and musculoskeletal system affecting their function and morphology. The activity-dependent plasticity of the intrinsic properties within the neural and musculoskeletal systems appear to provide adjustments in movement control and coordination. Following injury, disease, maturation or ageing the interaction between the neural and musculoskeletal systems if often altered and the differential adaptations to disuse, ageing, treatment or rehabilitation disturb the established task specific movement coordination. This results to the development of new and/or modified functional coordination patterns based on the altered states and different rates of adaptation of various biological structures and systems.

A critical component to understand the principles of human movement control and coordination is the integration of knowledge across different organizational levels, from neuromuscular circuit to joint and limb mechanics as well as muscle-tendon function. With this topic, we propose to gain beneficial knowledge in movement coordination at the neuromuscular, joint-limb and muscle-tendon levels as well as to enhance our understanding concerning the linkage between them through the integration of various theoretical, experimental and/or modelling approaches.

The research topic focuses on studies (including original research, perspectives, reviews and meta-analyses, commentaries and opinion papers) that investigate and discuss:

1) Kinematic limb and joint coordination including different methodological techniques (e.g., vector coding, discrete and continuous phase analysis, principal components, covariance, uncontrolled manifold approach, mechanical energy production and transfer between joints etc.).

2) Activation patterns and coordination among synergist and antagonist muscles during different human movements (e.g., muscle synchronization and coactivation, muscle-synergies, motor-unit recruitment etc.).

3) Coordination between different muscle-tendon units and interplay between activation patterns and contractile mechanisms for force generation and power production (e.g., muscle operating length and velocity, decoupling mechanisms within the muscle-tendon unit, elastic strain energy etc.).

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Frontiers in Sports and Active Living

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