Tensiomyographic Assessment of Muscle Contractile Properties in 9- to 14-Year Old Children

Abstract

While there are numerous data on the skeletal muscle fiber type composition in adults, little is known about the changes in fiber type composition and contractile properties during maturational growth in children. Using noninvasive tensiomyography, we measured contraction time (Tc), an indirect estimate of the myosin heavy chain I (MHC-I) proportion, to assess the longitudinal changes of the biceps brachii (BB), biceps femois (BF), vastus lateralis (VL), and erector spinae (ES) muscles in 53 boys and 54 girls. The children were 9 years at the start of the study and returned for 5 follow-up measurements until the age of 14 years. The ES has the shortest and the BF has the longest Tc. The VL and ES of boys have shorter Tc than those of girls. When applying the relationship between proportion of MHC-I and Tc established in adults to children's TMG data, we found a slow-to-fast transition in the VL between, at least, the ages of 6 to 10 years, when it stabilized to adult proportions. Regular participation in sports was associated with a faster BF, but not in the VL. Our data represents a first non-invasive indication of the developmental changes in muscle fiber type composition in children.