Physiology of the Skeletal Muscle: the effect of

stimulus frequency on skeletal muscle

contraction, the skeletal muscle length-tension
relationship, and isotonic contractions and the
load-velocity relationship
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION

Skeletal Muscles
attached to bones by bundles of
collagen fibers known as tendons.

Muscle fibers
individual cells of a skeletal muscle and
are responsible for the production of
muscle tension
INTRODUCTION

Treppe- is the progressive increase in force generated when a muscle is

stimulated in series wherein that muscle twitches follow another closely
and each successive twitch is slightly higher than the one before it.
Wave summation- is an increase in the frequency in which a muscle is
stimulated increases the strength of the contraction
INTRODUCTION

Isometric contraction- the muscle stays at fixed length or when a

muscle tries to move a load that is equal to the force generated
by it.
Passive force- is the act that muscle fibers generate tension which
results from the elastic recoil of the tissue.
Active force- is generated when myosin filaments bind to actin
filaments, thus engaging the cross bridge cycle and ATP
hydrolysis.

Total force = Active Force + Passive Force

 INTRODUCTION

Isotonic contractions:
✘ concentric contraction- the muscle
rises to meet the resistance then remains
the same as the muscle shortens. There is a
latent period during which there is a rise in
muscle tension but no observable
movement of the weight.
✘ eccentric contraction- the muscle
lengthens due to the resistance being
greater than the force the muscle is
producing.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
 Exercise 2: The Skeletal Muscle Physiology!

Activity 3: Activity 6: Activity 7:

the effect of stimulus the skeletal muscle isotonic contractions and
frequency on skeletal length-tension the load-velocity
muscle contraction relationship relationship
 MATERIALS AND METHODS

Oscilloscope Electrical Stimulator

- displays the stimulated muscle
twitch
-delivers the desired
amount and duration of
stimulating the muscle via
electrodes resting on the
muscle
Results and Discussion
TABLE 1: Summary of Data Gathered on the effect of
stimulus frequency on skeletal muscle contraction

Voltage Length Stimulus Active Force Passive Total Force

Force

8.5 75 Single 1.83 0 1.83

8.5 75 Multiple 2.41 0 2.41

8.5 75 Multiple 3.23 0 3.23

8.5 75 Multiple 4.77 0 4.77

10 75 Multiple 4.75 0 4.75

8.5 75 Multiple 5.65 0 5.65

Exercise 2 Activity 3

Figure 1b. Force-Time Curve of the

Figure 1a. Force-Time Curve of the
muscle subjected to multiple stimuli
muscle subjected to a single stimulus.
after complete relaxation
Figure 1c. Force-Time Curve of the Figure 1d. Force-Time Curve of the muscle
muscle subjected to multiple stimuli subjected to rapid succession of multiple
without complete relaxation stimuli in different voltages
Figure 1e-f. Force-Time Curve of the muscle subjected to rapid succession of multiple
stimuli in different voltages
TABLE 2: Summary of Data Gathered on the skeletal muscle
length-tension relationship

Voltage Length Active Force Passive Force Total Force

8.5 75 1.82 0 1.82

8.5 70 1.75 0 1.75

8.5 65 1.55 0 1.55

8.5 60 1.21 0 1.21

8.5 55 0.73 0 0.73

8.5 50 0.11 0 0.11

8.5 80 1.75 0.02 1.77

8.5 90 1.21 0.25 1.46

8.5 100 0.11 1.75 1.86

Exercise 2: Activity 6

Figure 2a-b. (a) Force-Time Curve of the Original Muscle Length;

(b) Length-Tension relationship graph
Figure 2c-d. (c) Force-Time Curve of the Shortened Muscle (d) Length-Tension relationship
graph
Figure 2e-f. (e) Force-Time Curve of the Lengthened Muscle;
(f) Length-Tension relationship graph
Figure 3. Active Force vs Length graph summarizing the results of
the experiment.
TABLE 3: Summary of Data Gathered in Isotonic contractions
and the Load-Velocity Relationship data

Voltage Length Weight Velocity Twitch Distance

(mm/msec) Duration Lifted
(msec) (mm)

8.5 75 0.5 0.100 78.00 4.0

8.5 75 1.0 0.057 49.00 2.0

8.5 75 1.5 0.022 30.00 0.5

8.5 75 2.0 0.000 0.00 0.0

Figure 4a-d. Load-Velocity Relationship in an Isotonic muscle contraction

Exercise 2: Activity 7
Figure 5. Load-Velocity Relationship curve
 SUMMARY
✘ The effect of stimulus frequency on skeletal muscle contraction is that when the
stimulation frequency increased so will the strength of muscle contraction.
✘ There was no need to increase the stimulus voltage, maximum active force of 5.2 g was
reached with multiple stimuli without full muscle relaxation.
✘ The muscle length-tension relationship showed that the active force data changes as the
resting length of the muscle changes.
✘ When muscle is lengthened, there is a decrease in the active force and increase of passive
force.
✘ The Load-Velocity relationship in an isotonic concentric contraction of a muscle is that
when the load attached to the muscle is increased in weight, the contraction velocity
lowers until it reaches the point wherein the muscle tension can no longer lift the load, no
contraction is evident. This occurrence is known as the maximum isometric contraction,
no change in the muscle length.
THANK YOU!
Any questions?
References:

Jones, D., Round, J. M., & Haan, A. D. (2008). Skeletal muscle from molecules to movement: a
textbook of muscle physiology for sport, exercise, physiotherapy and medicine. Edinburgh:
Churchill Livingstone.
Langton , P. (1999). The [sarcomere] length-tension relation . Retrieved March 06, 2018, from
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/phys-pharm-
neuro/media/plangton/ugteach/ugindex/m1_index/nm_tension/page2.htm
Lieber, R. L. (2010). Skeletal muscle structure, function, and plasticity: the physiological basis of
rehabilitation. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer.
Naidoo, S. (2017). Differencee between isometric and isotonic contractions. Retrieved March 6,
2018 from http://www.differencebetween.net/science/difference-between-isometric-and-
isotonic-contractions/
McComas, A. J. (1996). Skeletal muscle: form and function. Champaign: Human Kinetics.