Muscle length-force characteristics in relation to muscle architecture: a bilateral study of gastrocnemius medialis muscles of unilaterally immobilized rats

1993 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Heslinga ◽  
P. A. Huijing
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Length ◽  
Muscle Architecture ◽  
Gastrocnemius Medialis ◽  
Force Characteristics

The potentiating effect of prestretch on the contractile performance of rat gastrocnemius medialis muscle during subsequent shortening and isometric contractions

1992 ◽  
Vol 165 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Ettema ◽  
P. A. Huijing ◽  
A. de Haan
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Length ◽  
Dynamic Responses ◽  
Muscle Performance ◽  
Muscle Fibres ◽  
Isometric Contractions ◽  
Shortening Velocity ◽  
Average Force ◽  
Gastrocnemius Medialis ◽  
Dynamic Experiments ◽  
Length Changes

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of an active stretch during the onset of a muscle contraction on subsequent active behaviour of the contractile machinery within an intact mammalian muscle-tendon complex. Muscle length and shortening velocity were studied because they may be important variables affecting this so-called prestretch effect. Seven gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscles of the rat were examined. Tetanic, isovelocity shortening contractions from 3 mm above muscle optimum length (l0) to l0 - 2 mm, at velocities of 10–50 mm s-1 (dynamic experiments), were preceded by either an isometric contraction (PI) or an active stretch (PS). By imposing quick length decreases between the prephase and the concentric phase, all excess force generated in the prephase was instantaneously eliminated. This procedure only allowed small force changes during subsequent shortening (caused by the intrinsic properties of the contractile machinery). In this way, the influence of series elastic structures on subsequent muscle performance was minimized. Experiments were also performed at lengths ranging from l0 + 2.5 mm to l0 - 1.5 mm, keeping the length constant after the initial quick length changes (isometric experiments). For the dynamic experiments, enhancement of the performance of the contractile machinery (potentiation) was calculated as the ratio of the average force level over each millimetre of shortening during PS to that during PI conditions (PS/PI). For the isometric experiments, the PS/PI force ratio after 300 ms of stimulation was used. The main result of the present study confirmed results reported in the literature and experiments on isolated muscle fibres. For all conditions, a potentiation effect was found, ranging from about 2 to 16%. Muscle length appeared to have a large positive effect on the degree of potentiation. At the greatest lengths potentiation was largest, but at lengths below optimum a small effect was also found. A negative influence of shortening velocity was mainly present at increased muscle lengths (l0 + 2.5 mm and l0 + 1.5 mm). For the dynamic experiments, no interaction was found between the effects of muscle length and shortening velocity on potentiation. However, there was a clear difference between the isometric and dynamic responses: the dependence of potentiation on muscle length was significantly greater for the isometric contractions than for the dynamic ones. These isometric-dynamic differences indicate that the processes underlying prestretch effects operate differently under isometric and dynamic conditions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Reproducibility of gastrocnemius medialis muscle architecture during treadmill running

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 1081-1086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erasmia Giannakou ◽  
Nickos Aggeloussis ◽  
Adamantios Arampatzis
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Architecture ◽  
Treadmill Running ◽  
Gastrocnemius Medialis

scholarly journals Muscle architecture and passive lengthening properties of the gastrocnemius medialis and Achilles tendon in children who idiopathically toe‐walk

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Harkness‐Armstrong ◽  
Constantinos Maganaris ◽  
Roger Walton ◽  
David M. Wright ◽  
Alfie Bass ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Achilles Tendon ◽  
Muscle Architecture ◽  
Gastrocnemius Medialis

Incorporation of muscle architecture into the muscle length-tension relationship

1989 ◽  
Vol 22 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 943-948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenton R. Kaufman ◽  
Kai-Nan An ◽  
Edmund Y.S. Chao
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Length ◽  
Muscle Architecture

scholarly journals Estimation of the force–velocity properties of individual muscles from measurement of the combined plantarflexor properties

2020 ◽  
Vol 223 (18) ◽  
pp. jeb219980
Author(s):  
Mehrdad Javidi ◽  
Craig P. McGowan ◽  
David C. Lin
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Length ◽  
Muscle Architecture ◽  
Muscle Group ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Fiber Properties ◽  
Group Modeling ◽  
Force Velocity ◽  
The Individual

ABSTRACTThe force–velocity (F–V) properties of isolated muscles or muscle fibers have been well studied in humans and other animals. However, determining properties of individual muscles in vivo remains a challenge because muscles usually function within a synergistic group. Modeling has been used to estimate the properties of an individual muscle from the experimental measurement of the muscle group properties. While this approach can be valuable, the models and the associated predictions are difficult to validate. In this study, we measured the in situ F–V properties of the maximally activated kangaroo rat plantarflexor group and used two different assumptions and associated models to estimate the properties of the individual plantarflexors. The first model (Mdl1) assumed that the percent contributions of individual muscles to group force and power were based upon the muscles' cross-sectional area and were constant across the different isotonic loads applied to the muscle group. The second model (Mdl2) assumed that the F–V properties of the fibers within each muscle were identical, but because of differences in muscle architecture, the muscles' contributions to the group properties changed with isotonic load. We compared the two model predictions with independent estimates of the muscles' contributions based upon sonomicrometry measurements of muscle length. We found that predictions from Mdl2 were not significantly different from sonomicrometry-based estimates while those from Mdl1 were significantly different. The results of this study show that incorporating appropriate fiber properties and muscle architecture is necessary to parse the individual muscles' contributions to the group F–V properties.

Muscle fatigue and pain after eccentric contractions at long and short length

1988 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 553-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Newham ◽  
D. A. Jones ◽  
G. Ghosh ◽  
P. Aurora
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Strength ◽  
Muscle Pain ◽  
Muscle Length ◽  
Short Length ◽  
Eccentric Contractions ◽  
Elbow Flexors ◽  
Muscle Tenderness ◽  
Dependent Component ◽  
Force Characteristics ◽  
Contralateral Muscle

1. The effect of muscle length on the development of muscle pain and fatigue has been studied. 2. Eight normal young adults performed maximal eccentric contractions of the elbow flexors. The muscles of one arm were exercised at short length, and the contralateral muscle at long length. Each contraction lasted approximately 1 s, and was repeated once every 10 s for 30 min. 3. Muscle strength and frequency-force characteristics were measured from isometric contractions before, immediately after and at 24 h intervals for the next 4 days. Muscle tenderness was assessed daily. 4. The muscle strength was reduced by approximately 10% by exercise at short length, and by 30% by exercise at long length. 5. The 20:100 ratio (force generated by stimulation at 20 Hz/force generated at 100 Hz) fell by 30% after exercise at short length and had recovered after 24 h. Exercise at long length reduced this ratio by 65% and the muscles had not fully recovered 4 days later. 6. Muscle pain developed after both exercise regimens, but was slightly worse after that at long length. 7. It is concluded that there is a length-dependent component in the development of pain and fatigue after eccentric exercise, which had previously been thought to be caused solely by high force generation.

scholarly journals How does passive lengthening change the architecture of the human medial gastrocnemius muscle?

2017 ◽  
Vol 122 (4) ◽  
pp. 727-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bart Bolsterlee ◽  
Arkiev D’Souza ◽  
Simon C. Gandevia ◽  
Robert D. Herbert
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Muscle Fibers ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Muscle Length ◽  
Muscle Architecture ◽  
Medial Gastrocnemius ◽  
Fascicle Length ◽  
Muscle Belly ◽  
Whole Muscle

There are few comprehensive investigations of the changes in muscle architecture that accompany muscle contraction or change in muscle length in vivo. For this study, we measured changes in the three-dimensional architecture of the human medial gastrocnemius at the whole muscle level, the fascicle level and the fiber level using anatomical MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Data were obtained from eight subjects under relaxed conditions at three muscle lengths. At the whole muscle level, a 5.1% increase in muscle belly length resulted in a reduction in both muscle width (mean change −2.5%) and depth (−4.8%). At the fascicle level, muscle architecture measurements obtained at 3,000 locations per muscle showed that for every millimeter increase in muscle-tendon length above the slack length, average fascicle length increased by 0.46 mm, pennation angle decreased by 0.27° (0.17° in the superficial part and 0.37° in the deep part), and fascicle curvature decreased by 0.18 m−1. There was no evidence of systematic variation in architecture along the muscle’s long axis at any muscle length. At the fiber level, analysis of the diffusion signal showed that passive lengthening of the muscle increased diffusion along fibers and decreased diffusion across fibers. Using these measurements across scales, we show that the complex shape changes that muscle fibers, whole muscles, and aponeuroses of the medial gastrocnemius undergo in vivo cannot be captured by simple geometrical models. This justifies the need for more complex models that link microstructural changes in muscle fibers to macroscopic changes in architecture. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Novel MRI and DTI techniques revealed changes in three-dimensional architecture of the human medial gastrocnemius during passive lengthening. Whole muscle belly width and depth decreased when the muscle lengthened. Fascicle length, pennation, and curvature changed uniformly or near uniformly along the muscle during passive lengthening. Diffusion of water molecules in muscle changes in the same direction as fascicle strains.

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