Lectures 10 and 11 Flashcards
Muscle form determines function … depends on:
Length of muscle fibres
Number of muscle fibres
Arrangement of muscle fibres
Describe length of muscle fibres
Fibres can shorten up to 50% of their resting length (based on the sliding filament theory) therefore longer fibres means a larger ROM.
Describe this image (at rest and contracting)
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At rest ….
LHS - Long muscle fibres and the tendons are very short
RHS - Distal tendon is longer which creates a shorter muscle fibre as a result. Shorter resting length therefore means a shorter contracting length.
Contracting….
LHS - Larger movement is possible due to larger muscle fibres
RHS - Shorter resting length means that its contraction length cannot go as far. Tendons have no capability to contract so the amount of movement with the linger tendon is lower than that of the one with the shorter tendon
Tension (force) is directly proportional to
Cross sectional area (the thickness of a muscle)
A greater number of fibres means …
Is equal to greater CSA which is equal to a greater amount of tension being able to be created
CSA comparison of abdominal muscles vs gluteus maximus
The abdominal muscles are relatively thin, lots of parallel fibres, it is therefore not going to be able to produce as much force. Gluteus Maximus is very thick, has a large CSA therefore it is a very powerful muscle in terms of the amount of force produced
Explain what the arrangement of muscle fibres means
Number of fibres you can fit into an area depends on how you arrange them relative to the tendons
Parallel muscle fibre arrangement
Fibres arrange vertically between muscle tendons
Pennate fibre arrangement
Fibres oblique to muscle tendon
Muscle with fascicles that attach obliquely (in a slanting position) to its tendon. These types of muscles generally allow higher force production but smaller range of motion. When a muscle contracts and shortens, the pennation angle increases.
What does having the pennate muscle arrangement mean?
Having a pennate arrangement means that more fibres fit into the same space. In a pennate muscle, as a consequence of their arrangement, fibres are shorter than they would be if they ran from one end of the muscle to the other therefore the larger the pennation angle is, the shorter are the fibres.
Pennate arrangement means that there are more fibres within the same space therefore an increase in CSA and more force is generated.
Unipennate
A type of pennate muscle where the muscle fibres or fascicles are all in one side of the tendon
Bipennate
Type of pennate muscle where the muscle fibres or fascicles are on opposite sides of the central tendon
Multipennate
A type of pennate muscle where the diagonal muscle fibres are in multiple rows with the central tendon branching into two or more tendons
Describe the parts of an anatomical lever
Bones = lever
Joint = pivot or fulcrum
Muscle contraction = pull
Load = external or internal
First order lever and draw
First class levers stabilise joint position (however they are rare in the human body)
A first-class lever has the axis (fulcrum) located between the weight (resistance) and the force
Axis lying between the force and resistance
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What kind of lever is at the head and neck?
It is a first class lever.
This area contains the brain, large muscles, tongue and in addition to that a load is acting which is gravity therefore there is a natural tendency for the head to tilt forward when no muscles are present. This would be problematic in interacting with the external environment.
Axis = where your skull meets the top of the spine Force = neck muscles Resistance = head
Second order lever
The load is placed between the fulcrum and effort, while the force of the effort is directed in an opposite direction to counter that of the load.
Second order levers are effective at over coming loads (big weights)
Resistance is lying between the axis and force
What kind of lever is acting when plantarflexion of the ankle is occurring?
It is a second class lever.
The fulcrum in this example is at the front of the foot and what is trying to occur is going up onto tippy toes which is essentially trying to create plantar flexion at the ankle, so all of the body weight is now sitting at the back of the ankle. In order to overcome this load and allow for movement at this particular lever, we need to produce a huge amount of applied force through the muscle lying posteriorly to the ankle.
Axis = toes Resistance = body weight Force = calf muscles
Third order lever
In third-class levers, the fulcrum remains at one end of the beam—however, the force of the effort is now located between the fulcrum and the force of the load.
Third class levers allow for a large range of movement and speed. They are generally associated with longer muscles of the body and more often than not they will cross over multiple joints. They are also generally for speedy movements as well.
Force is lying between the axis and resistance
What kind of lever is acting when flexion at the elbow joint is occurring?
It is a third class lever.
Axis = elbow joint Force = biceps brachii muscle Resistance = hand
Concentric
A concentric contraction causes muscles to shorten, thereby generating force.
Muscle is active, develops tension. There is a change in joint position and the shortening of muscle.
Isometric
Muscle is activated, but instead of being allowed to lengthen or shorten, it is held at a constant length.
The muscle is active, developing tension but there is no change in joint position, it remains stationary
Eccentric
The muscle is active, developing tension to oppose the movement being generated, allowing for joints to change position in a controlled manner. There is a change in joint position and there is a lengthening of muscle.
Agonist
Agonists acts concentrically or shortens to move a muscle