The purpose of the present study was to test the hypothesis that myofascial force transmission may not be limited by compartmental boundaries of a muscle group to synergists. Muscles of the anterior tibial compartment in rat hindlimb as well as of the neighbouring peroneal compartment (antagonistic muscles) were excited maximally. Length-force data, based on proximal lengthening, of EDL, as wel...

Sides of the 40 selected carcasses were alternately assigned to both conventional chilling and cold boning (CB) or hot boning (HB). Fabrication of CB sides took place after overnight chilling (20 h postmortem) and subsequent carcass grading, while fabrication of HB sides occurred on the day of slaughter within 60 min of exsanguination. Five muscles were removed, including the longissimus lumbor...

OBJECTIVE To develop a three-dimensional computer model to predict levator ani muscle stretch during vaginal birth. METHODS Serial magnetic resonance images from a healthy nulliparous 34-year-old woman, published anatomic data, and engineering graphics software were used to construct a structural model of the levator ani muscles along with related passive tissues. The model was used to quanti...

We have examined the efficiency of vertebrate striated muscle at two different organizational levels: whole animals and isolated muscles. Terrestrial locomotion is used as a model of 'normal' muscular contraction; animal size and running speed are used as independent variables in order to change either the metabolic requirements of the muscles or the mechanical power production by the muscles o...

We hypothesized that muscles crossing the elbow have fundamental differences in their capacity for excursion, force generation, and moment generation due to differences in their architecture, moment arm, and the combination of their architecture and moment arm. Muscle fascicle length, sarcomere length, pennation angle, mass, and tendon displacement with elbow flexion were measured for the major...

The goal of this study was to determine the distribution of citrate synthase (CS), beta-hydroxyacyl coenzyme A dehydrogenase (HOAD), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities and myoglobin (Mb) concentration in the locomotor muscles (epaxial muscles) and heart of harbor seals. The entire epaxial musculature, which produces most of the power for submerged swimming, was removed and weighed, and ...

The hypothesis was tested that increasing the resting length of the masseter and temporalis muscles by a bite-opening appliance with or without detachment and re-attachment of the masseter would not affect the contractile properties of these muscles. Appliances opened the bite of 10 adult female monkeys 20 mm. Five received the appliance alone (Group A); five received the appliance and in addit...

INTRODUCTION The traditionally taught technique for conventional open thyroidectomy is via a midline splitting of the strap muscles following a skin crease neck incision - midline approach (MA). The lateral "backdoor" approach (LA) uses the same central neck incision but approaches the thyroid gland between the anterior border of sternocleidomastoid (SCM) and strap muscles. This technique is us...

This article presents the design of a variable stiffness, soft, three-fingered dexterous gripper. The gripper uses two designs of McKibben muscles. Extensor muscles that increase in length when pressurized are used to form the fingers of the gripper. Contractor muscles that decrease in length when pressurized are then used to apply forces to the fingers through tendons, which cause flexion and ...

Fingertip forces result from the activation of muscles that cross the wrist and muscles whose origins and insertions reside within the hand (extrinsic and intrinsic hand muscles, respectively). Thus, tasks that involve changes in wrist angle affect the moment arm and length, hence the force-producing capabilities, of extrinsic muscles only. If a grasping task requires the exertion of constant f...