Different research fields, such as biomechanics, medical engineering or neurosciences take part in the development of biomechanical models allowing for the estimation of individual muscle forces involved in motor action. The heterogeneity of the terminology used to describe these models according to the research field is a source of confusion and can hamper collaboration between the different fields. This paper proposes a common language based on lexical disambiguation and a synthesis of the terms used in the literature in order to facilitate the understanding of the different elements of biomechanical modeling for force estimation, without questioning the relevance of the terms used in each field or the different model components or their interest. We suggest that the description should start with an indication of whether the muscle force estimation problem is solved following the physiological movement control (from the nervous drive to the muscle force production) or in the opposite direction. Next, the suitability of the model for force production estimation at a given time or for monitoring over time should be specified. Authors should pay particular attention to the method description used to find solutions, specifying whether this is done during or after data collection, with possible method adaptations during processing. Finally, the presence of additional data must be specified by indicating whether they are used to drive, assist, or calibrate the model. Describing and classifying models in this way will facilitate the use and application in all fields where the estimation of muscle forces is of real, direct, and concrete interest.

Over recent years, a growing body of research has highlighted the neural plastic effects of spinal manipulation on the central nervous system. Recently, it has been shown that spinal manipulation improved outcomes, such as maximum voluntary force and limb joint position sense, reflecting improved sensorimotor integration and processing. This study aimed to further evaluate how spinal manipulation can alter neuromuscular activity. High density electromyography (HD sEMG) signals from the tibialis anterior were recorded and decomposed in order to study motor unit changes in 14 subjects following spinal manipulation or a passive movement control session in a crossover study design. Participants were asked to produce ankle dorsiflexion at two force levels, 5% and 10% of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC), following two different patterns of force production (“ramp” and “ramp and maintain”). A significant decrease in the conduction velocity (p = 0.01) was observed during the “ramp and maintain” condition at 5% MVC after spinal manipulation. A decrease in conduction velocity suggests that spinal manipulation alters motor unit recruitment patterns with an increased recruitment of lower threshold, lower twitch torque motor units.

Strength training (ST) induces corticomuscular adaptations leading to enhanced strength. ST alters the agonist and antagonist muscle activations, which changes the motor control, i.e., force production stability and accuracy. This study evaluated the alteration of corticomuscular communication and motor control through the quantification of corticomuscular coherence (CMC) and absolute (AE) and variable error (VE) of the force production throughout a 3 week Maximal Strength Training (MST) intervention specifically designed to strengthen ankle plantarflexion (PF). Evaluation sessions with electroencephalography, electromyography, and torque recordings were conducted pre-training, 1 week after the training initiation, then post-training. Training effect was evaluated over the maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC), the submaximal torque production, AE and VE, muscle activation, and CMC changes during submaximal contractions at 20% of the initial and daily MVIC. MVIC increased significantly throughout the training completion. For submaximal contractions, agonist muscle activation decreased over time only for the initial torque level while antagonist muscle activation, AE, and VE decreased over time for each torque level. CMC remained unaltered by the MST. Our results revealed that neurophysiological adaptations are noticeable as soon as 1 week post-training. However, CMC remained unaltered by MST, suggesting that central motor adaptations may take longer to be translated into CMC alteration.