THE BIOMECHANICS OF
HUMAN SKELETAL
MUSCLE
Muscle is the only tissue capable of actively developing tension
This feature of skeletal muscles enable them to maintain posture
and modulate movement through coordination from nervous
system: The neuromuscular system
BEHAVIORAL PROPERTIES OF THE
MUSCULOTENDINOUS UNIT
The characteristic behavioral properties of muscle are
-extensibility, elasticity, irritability, and the ability to develop tension
Common to all muscle
-cardiac, smooth, and skeletal muscle of human beings
a) Extensibility:
The ability to be stretched or to increase in length
b) Elasticity: The ability to return to normal length after a stretch,
necessary for smooth transmission of tension from muscle to bone
• Two major components:
• Parallel elastic component(PEC): Passive elastic property of
muscle derived from the muscle membranes when stretched
passively, named parallel as membrane runs parallel to
muscle fiber
• Series elastic component(SEC): Provided by tendon that run
in series with muscle fiber. Tendons, acts as a spring to store
elastic energy when a tensed muscle is stretched. Major
component of elasticity of human skeletal is by SEC
• The height of a jump increases when a countermovement (knee
flexion) immediately precedes it due to increased elasticity of the
SEC in the lower-extremity muscle
c) Irritability:
The ability to respond to a stimulus, either electrochemical, such
as an action potential from the attaching nerve, or mechanical, such
as an external blow to a portion of a muscle
d) Ability to Develop Tension:
The muscle respond to irritability by developing tension, also
know as muscle contraction
STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION OF
SKELETAL MUSCLE
• Human body has approx. 434 muscles
• 40-45% of total body weight in adults
• 75 muscle pairs responsible for bodily movements and posture
1. Muscle Fibers
2. Motor Units
3. Fiber Types
4. Fiber Architecture
1. MUSCLE FIBER
• A single muscle cell is termed a muscle fiber, because of thread like
shape, covered by membrane called sarcolemma and cytoplasm
called Sarcoplasm.
• The sarcoplasm contain nuclei, mitochondria and threadlike
myofibrils (actin and myosin) that give the striated appearance.
• The basic functional and structural unit of muscle fiber is
sarcomere, lying between Z lines with I band containg thin Actin
filament and A band containing thick myosin filament
• Z line that is continuous with sarcolemma provides attachment to
both filaments
HOW MUSCLE CONTRACTION OCCUR
• Sliding Filament theory:
• Myosin heads or cross-bridges bind with actin filaments , sliding
actin filament from both sides of sarcomere towords center,
resulting in shortening of A band and closer of Z lines.
• The number of linkages proportional to both force production and
energy expenditure
• Structure & organization
o Several layers of connective tissue provide the superstructure for
muscle fiber organization
o Each sarcolemma, is surrounded by a thin connective tissue called
the endomysium
o Fibers are bundled into fascicles by connective tissue sheaths
referred to as the perimysium.
o Groups of fascicles forming the whole muscles are then
surrounded by the epimysium, which is continuous with the
muscle tendons
TYPE OF MUSCLE CONTRACTIONS
• Muscle Twitch:
Respone of muscle fiber to a single nerve impulse results in contraction of muscle fiber, known as
Muscle Twitch
• Summation:
Repetitive volley of nerve impulses to a muscle already in tension/contraction result in Summation
of tension until it reach to its maximum tension
• Tetanus
If the maximum tension level is maintained for a time, muscle is in state of Tetanus, four time
stronger than a twitch, maintained for a longer period result in fatigue and gradual decline in muscle
tension
2. MOTOR UNITS:
• The is group of muscle fiber innervated by a single motor neuron
form a motor units. This motor unit form a functional group og
muscle fibers
• Axon of motor neuron divides into several end plate fot each
individual muscle fiber with 100 to 2000 fibers supplied by single
motor neuron
• Confined to a single muscle and are localized within that muscle.
• Fine precise movement like hand and eye movements are
controlled by small multiple motor unit
• Gross forceful movements like that of gastrocnemius, are
controlled by large motor units
3. TYPE OF MUSCLE FIBERS
• Based on the response time to a nerve impulse, muscle fibers are
divided into Fast Twitch (FT) and Slow Twitch (ST)
• Fast-twitch fiber:
• Fiber that reaches peak tension relatively quickly, about one-
seventh the time required by ST
• Higher concentrations of myosin-ATPase in FT fibers
• Larger in diameter
• FT fibers usually fatigue more quickly than do ST
• High percentage of FT fibers is advantageous for generating fast movements
with higher magnitude of torque and power like sprinting and jumping
• Two subdivisions of FT:
• Type IIa = fast-twitch oxidative glycolytic (FOG)
fatigue resistant
• Type IIb = fast-twitch glycolytic (FG)
fatigues more rapidly
• slow-twitch fiber: Type I: slow-twitch oxidative (SO)
• a fiber that reaches peak tension relatively slowly
• Lower concentrations of myosin-ATPase in ST fibers
• Smaller in diameter
• high percentage of ST fibers is beneficial for activities requiring
endurance like distance running, cycling, and swimming
• use oxidative metabolism to generate ATP
• Fast-twitch fibers both reach peak tension and relax more quickly
than slow-twitch fibers. Note that the twitch tension levels shown
are relative to peak tension and not absolute, since FT fibers tend
to reach higher peak tensions than ST fibers
• Most skeletal muscles contain both FT and ST fibers, with the relative
amounts varying from muscle to muscle
Soleus, responsible mainly for postural adjustments, contains primarily
ST fibers.
Gastrocnemius may contain more FT than ST fibers
• Exercise training over time can result in changes in fiber types within an
individual like FT can be converted to ST with continuous endurance training
• FT fibers conversions from Type IIb to Type IIa fibers can occur with heavy
resistance (strength) training
• Age and obesity also affect fiber type composition. Age-related reduction in
the number of motor units and muscle fibers and in the size of Type II fibers
4. MUSCLE FIBER ARCHITECTURE
• Arrangement of fibers within a muscle also influence its function
• Parallel fiber arrangement:
Fibers are oriented largely in parallel with the longitudinal axis
of the muscle
Fibers do not extend the entire length of the muscle, but
terminate somewhere in the muscle belly
Enables greater shortening of the entire muscle
Can move body segments through larger ranges of motion
• Pennate fiber arrangement:
Fibers lie at an angle to the muscle’s longitudinal axis.
Each fiber in a pennate muscle attaches to one or more tendons, some of
which extend the entire length of the muscle.
Shortening of muscle fiber increase angle of pennation. Greater the angle
of pennation, smaller will be the force transmitted to the tendon and finally to
bone
Angle of pennation exceeds 60°, effective force transferred to the tendon
is less than one-half of the force actually produced by the muscle fibers
