given a gastrocnemius muscle at its optimal lenght, when maximally stimulated by

Question

given a gastrocnemius muscle at its optimal lenght, when maximally stimulated by a single electrical stimulus, produces an isometric twitch tension of 80kg, and consumes 5 joules of energy above its basal energy consumption. if you then stretch the muscle (hyper extend it) so that the same maximal electrical stimulus produces no twitch tension at all, stimulating the muscle raises its energy consumption by only 1 joule above its basal energy consumption.

a) the 5 joules consumed by the muscle during maximal stimulus at optimal length were used for what?

b) the 1 joule of energy consumed by the muscle during a maximal stimulus at hyper extended length was used for what?

c) explain the difference in amplitude of the twitch tension between optimal length and hyper extended length

Explanation / Answer

Isometric twitch is a condition in which the muscle contracts without appreciable shortening between its origin and insertion.

a.

The 5 joules energy is consumed for muscle contraction.

b.

As the stimulus is provided in short time, the 1 joules energy is consumed to maintain the state of muscle. This condition is called wave summation, where the energy is used to cause contraction on one another.

c.

In the given case, the summation is adopted where in tension is increased that results in inability of muscle fiber to relax. In this case, the increasing stimulus frequency is used.

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