The Relative Position of EDL Muscle Affects the Length of Sarcomeres Within Muscle Fibers: Experimental Results and Finite-Element Modeling

2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (5) ◽  
pp. 745-753 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huub Maas ◽  
Guus C. Baan ◽  
Peter A. Huijing ◽  
Can A. Yucesoy ◽  
Bart H. F. J. M. Koopman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Finite Element Modeling ◽  
Relative Position ◽  
Isometric Force ◽  
Muscle Fibers ◽  
Force Transmission ◽  
Connective Tissues ◽  
Element Modeling ◽  
Myofascial Force Transmission ◽  
Edl Muscle

Background : Effects of extramuscular connective tissues on muscle force (experimentally measured) and lengths of sarcomeres (modeled) were investigated in rat. It was hypothesized that changes of muscle-relative position affect the distribution of lengths of sarcomeres within muscle fibers. Method of approach: The position of extensor digitorum longus muscle (EDL) relative to intact extramuscular connective tissues of the anterior crural compartment was manipulated without changing its muscle-tendon complex length. Results: Significant effects of EDL muscle relative position on proximal and distal EDL forces were found, indicating changes of extramuscular myofascial force transmission. EDL isometric force exerted at its proximal and distal tendons differed significantly. Finite-element modeling showed that the distribution of lengths of sarcomeres is altered by changes of muscle-relative position. Conclusions: It is concluded that forces exerted on a muscle via extramuscular myofascial pathways augment distributions of lengths of sarcomeres within that muscle.

scholarly journals Extramuscular Myofascial Force Transmission: Experiments and Finite Element Modeling

2003 ◽  
Vol 111 (4) ◽  
pp. 377-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.A. Yucesoy ◽  
B.H.F.J.M. Koopman ◽  
G.C. Baan ◽  
H.J. Grootenboer ◽  
P.A. Huijing
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Finite Element Modeling ◽  
Force Transmission ◽  
Element Modeling ◽  
Myofascial Force Transmission

scholarly journals Extramuscular Myofascial Force Transmission: Experiments and Finite Element Modeling

2003 ◽  
Vol 111 (4) ◽  
pp. 377-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yucesoy C.A. ◽  
Koopman B.H.F.J.M. ◽  
Baan G.C. ◽  
Grootenboer H.J. ◽  
Huijing P.A.
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Finite Element Modeling ◽  
Force Transmission ◽  
Element Modeling ◽  
Myofascial Force Transmission

INTRA-, EXTRA- AND INTERMUSCULAR MYOFASCIAL FORCE TRANSMISION OF SYNERGISTS AND ANTAGONISTS: EFFECTS OF MUSCLE LENGTH AS WELL AS RELATIVE POSITION

2002 ◽  
Vol 02 (03n04) ◽  
pp. 405-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETER A. HUIJING
Keyword(s):  
Connective Tissue ◽  
Relative Position ◽  
Muscle Length ◽  
Force Transmission ◽  
Muscle Belly ◽  
Myofascial Force Transmission ◽  
Antagonist Muscles ◽  
Length Changes ◽  
Edl Muscle

The concepts of intramuscular myofascial force transmission is reintroduced and reviewed on the basis of experiments involving tenotomy and aponeurotomy of dissected rat EDL muscle studied in situ. Results from experiments with measurements of force of EDL muscle, of which the muscle belly was not dissected (i.e. the muscle is surrounded by its natural connective tissue milieu) are discussed. In such experiments, force was measured at proximal as well as distal EDL tendons. Examples of experimental evidence for both extramuscular and intermuscular myofascial force transmission within the rat anterior crural compartment are presented. Evidence is presented also for differential effects of proximal and distal lengthening on myofascial force transmission from EDL, even for the case in which symmetric length changes were imposed on the muscle. It is shown that myofascial force transmission effects are not limited to synergists located within one compartment, but do also play a very substantial role in the interaction between antagonist muscles in neighbouring anterior crural and peroneal compartments.

scholarly journals Significant mechanical interactions at physiological lengths and relative positions of rat plantar flexors

2015 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 427-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Bernabei ◽  
Jaap H. van Dieën ◽  
Guus C. Baan ◽  
Huub Maas
Keyword(s):  
Relative Position ◽  
Isometric Force ◽  
Unit Length ◽  
Knee Extension ◽  
Triceps Surae ◽  
Force Transmission ◽  
Plantar Flexors ◽  
Myofascial Force Transmission ◽  
Triceps Surae Muscles ◽  
Slack Length

In situ studies involving supraphysiological muscle lengths and relative positions have shown that connective tissue linkages connecting adjacent muscles can transmit substantial forces, but the physiological significance is still subject to debate. The present study investigates effects of such epimuscular myofascial force transmission in the rat calf muscles. Unlike previous approaches, we quantified the mechanical interaction between the soleus (SO) and the lateral gastrocnemius and plantaris complex (LG+PL) applying a set of muscle lengths and relative positions corresponding to the range of knee and ankle angles occurring during normal movements. In nine deeply anesthetized Wistar rats, the superficial posterior crural compartment was exposed, and distal and proximal tendons of LG+PL and the distal SO tendon were severed and connected to force transducers. The target muscles were excited simultaneously. We found that SO active and passive tendon force was substantially affected by proximally lengthening of LG+PL mimicking knee extension (10% and 0.8% of maximal active SO force, respectively; P < 0.05). Moreover, SO relative position significantly changed the LG+PL length-force relationship, resulting in nonunique values for passive slack-length and optimum-length estimates. We conclude that also, for physiological muscle conditions, isometric force of rat triceps surae muscles is determined by its muscle-tendon unit length as well as by the length and relative position of its synergists. This has implications for understanding the neuromechanics of skeletal muscle in normal and pathological conditions, as well as for studies relying on the assumption that muscles act as independent force actuators.

Myofascial force transmission between a single muscle head and adjacent tissues: length effects of head III of rat EDL

2003 ◽  
Vol 95 (5) ◽  
pp. 2004-2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huub Maas ◽  
Richard T. Jaspers ◽  
Guus C. Baan ◽  
Peter A. Huijing
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Fibers ◽  
Force Transmission ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Myofascial Force Transmission ◽  
Extensor Hallucis Longus ◽  
Optimal Force ◽  
Length Changes ◽  
Edl Muscle ◽  
Isometric Forces ◽  
Distal Tendon

Force transmission from muscle fibers via the connective tissue network (i.e., myofascial force transmission) is an important determinant of muscle function. This study investigates the role of myofascial pathways for force transmission from multitendoned extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle within an intact anterior crural compartment. Effects of length changes exclusively of head III of rat EDL muscle (EDL III) on myofascial force transmission were assessed. EDL III was lengthened at the distal tendon. For different lengths of EDL III, isometric forces were measured at the distal tendon of EDL III, as well as at the proximal tendon of whole EDL and at the distal tendons of tibialis anterior and extensor hallucis longus (TA+EHL) muscles. Lengthening of EDL III caused high changes in force exerted at the distal tendon of EDL III (from 0 to 1.03 ± 0.07 N). In contrast, only minor changes were found in force exerted at the proximal EDL tendon (from 2.37 ± 0.09 to 2.53 ± 0.10 N). Increasing the length of EDL III decreased TA+EHL force significantly (by 7%, i.e., from 5.62 ± 0.27 to 5.22 ± 0.32 N). These results show that force is transmitted between EDL III and adjacent tissues via myofascial pathways. Optimal force exerted at the distal tendon of EDL III (1.03 ± 0.07 N) was more than twice the force expected on the basis of the physiological cross-sectional area of EDL III muscle fibers (0.42 N). Therefore, a substantial fraction of this force must originate from sources other than EDL III. It is concluded that myofascial pathways play an important role in force transmission from multitendoned muscles.

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