A1 Force Generation Failure

Title

Failures in muscle force generation occur when the muscle cannot produce the tension expected for a given neural activation. The causes may be structural (fiber rupture, muscle tear), physiological (depletion of energy substrates, accumulation of metabolites) or neuromuscular (reflex inhibition, blockade of the neuromuscular junction). The force produced by the injured muscle falls below Hill's prediction for the given activation. In muscle tears, the ACTP functional cross section is reduced in the injured area, decreasing F_0 proportionally. Muscle contusion reduces the shortening speed V_max due to alteration of contractile properties. Bilateral strength deficit (when the strength of both legs together is less than the sum of the individual forces) reflects neural inhibition of coordination. The loss of force is quantified as the ratio between the force produced and the force expected by the Hill curve for the same activation.

ID:253