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Invited Commentary on “Gastrocnemius-Soleus Muscle Tendon Unit Changes Over the First 12 Weeks of Adjusted Age in Infants Born Preterm”

Grant-Beuttler et al1 present an interesting report describing the measurement of gastrocnemius-soleus muscle tendon unit (MTU) lengths from term to 12 weeks of age in infants born preterm and infants born full term. This work joins that of other authors2 in suggesting that infants born preterm have a different developmental trajectory than infants born full term and they have identifiable and measurable impairments during early infancy.

This study examined the differences in muscle-tendon tautness, length, and stretch over time. The authors note that a limitation of their study was the lack of measurements of knee flexion angle of newborn infants, both full term and preterm, to demonstrate extension limitations of the knee. Because the gastrocnemius is a 2-joint muscle, any degree of knee flexion may be important. It is very difficult to stretch the …