Muscle Weight Gain

The restriction of elbow extension might also be the result of length and strength imbalance between the biceps muscle as the elbow flexor and the triceps muscle as the elbow extender. A weak triceps could prevent full elbow extension. The operator might choose an isotonic muscle energy technique to treat this condition as follow:
1) Patient sitting on table with operator in front.
2) Operator grasp shoulder and distal forearm and takes elbow into full flexion.
3) Patient is instructed to extend th elbow with as much effort as possible, perhaps several pounds.
4) The operator provides a yielding counterforce that allows the elbow to lowly but steadily extend throughout its maximal range.
5) Operator returns elbow to full flexion and the patient repeats the contraction of the triceps to extend the elbow, but this time the operator provides increasing resistance to elbow extension.
6) Several repetitive efforts are accomplished with the operator providing increasing resistance each time and with the patient endeavoring to take the elbow through full extension with each effort.
7) Approximately three or five repetitions are usually necessary to achieve full elbow extension.
In any of these muscle energy procedures, it is important to accurately assess the resistant barrier. With an isometric technique, the first barrier sensed must be the point where the careful joint position is held by the operator. If the operator “crashes into” the muscle resistant barrier in positioning the joint, an increase in the muscle hyp ertonicity will result, just the opposite of the desired therapeutic effort. Second, when using these procedures in a joint with multiple planes of movement available, each motion barrier must be engaged in the same fashion. In the vertebral column with motion restriction around and along three different axes, precision in the engagement of the restrictive barrier is essential for therapeutic effectiveness, which can also be seen in Tony Horton’s Ten Minute Trainer success stories.