PHYSIOLOGY PROTOCOL II – EXCITABLE TISSUES 1

Sara Repo
sr15011
Medicine
11 October 2016

Dynamometry (p. 64), Electromyography (p.20-22), Frog Simulator (p.11-19)

1. MUSCLE FORCE AND FATIGUE

Dynamometry – Hand Grip Test (p. 64)

AIM:
To determine the force of hand grip and evaluate muscle fatigue on left and right hands.

TASKS:
1. Measurement of the maximal voluntary force (MVF) of palm folding muscles.
2. Evaluation of fatigue by the performance of static load.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

1. Dynamometer, held with each arm at a 90 degree angle from the body at maximal force
and then again at the calculated 70-80% of individual MVF.
2. Stopwatch

RESULTS:

Hand Grip Test

Maximal Voluntary Force (MVF)
30

25

20

15

10

0
Pierre Left Sara Left Pierre Right Sara Right

Series 1 Series 2 Series 3

Chart 1.1. Initial results of the hand grip test (maximal voluntary force)

Pierre mean values:

Left 21,6 Right 25
70-80% of Maximum Voluntary Force for left hand= 15-18 IDEAL RANGE FOR TEST
70-80% of Maximum Voluntary Force for right hand = 17,5-20 IDEAL RANGE FOR TEST
PHYSIOLOGY PROTOCOL II – EXCITABLE TISSUES 2

Sara mean values:

Left 13.7 Right 12.5
70-80% of Maximum Voluntary Force for left hand= 9,5-11 IDEAL RANGE FOR TEST

Hand Grip Tests

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
Sara Right hand Sara Left hand Pierre Right hand Pierre Left hand

Initial fatigue Passive Relaxation Initial fatigue2 Active relaxation

Chart 1.2. Combined results of the hand grip tests following passive and active relaxation for
comparison (time is shown in seconds on the left)

Active Relaxation
60

50

40

30

20

10

0
Sara Left Hand Sara Right Hand Pierre Left Hand Pierre Right Hand

Initial fatigue Active Relaxation

Chart 1.3. Results of active relaxation following initial fatigue
PHYSIOLOGY PROTOCOL II – EXCITABLE TISSUES 3

Passive Relaxation
70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
Sara Left Hand Sara Right Hand Pierre Left Hand Pierre Right Hand

Initial Fatigue Passive Relaxation

Chart 1.4. Results of Passive relaxation following initial fatigue

DISCUSSION:
Although Pierre had a substantially greater Maximal Voluntary Force (MVF) and overall grip
strength, his fatigue threshold was noticeable lower than Sara’s.

Sara performed nearly the same following both passive and active relaxation, although the
performance was slightly better following passive relaxation. However, Pierre performed
significantly better following active relaxation as opposed to passive.

CONCLUSION:
It seems that active relaxation enhances performance, although Sara’s results did not follow this
trend. It could be possible that Pierre utilized more Fast (Type IIB) muscle fibers, which have
greater strength but are fatigable (FF), whereas Sara utilized more Slow muscle fibers or Fast Type
IIA muscle fibers, which are weaker but fatigue resistant. This hypothesis would explain why the
passive relaxation enhanced Sara’s performance slightly.
PHYSIOLOGY PROTOCOL II – EXCITABLE TISSUES 4

2. REGULATION OF MUSCLE CONTRACTION

Electromyography (p. 20-22)

AIM:
To monitor the effects of disrupted blood supply on the work of the muscle at varying loads.

TASKS:
1. Record the interference EMG of arm muscle m. palmaris longus at static muscle activity,
gradually increasing the load.
2. Record the electromyogram of the same muscle with a venous tourniquet (disturbed
venous blood supply); repeat the previous size of load
3. Record the electromyogram of the same muscle with arterial tourniquet (disturbed arterial
and venous blood supply); repeat the previous sizes of load.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

1. Electromyogram
2. EMG sensors
3. Blood pressure cuff / tourniquet
4. 5 kg, 10 kg, and 15 kg weights

RESULTS:

Figure 2.1. No disturbance to blood supply

PHYSIOLOGY PROTOCOL II – EXCITABLE TISSUES 5

Figure 2.2. Venous disturbance to blood supply (60mmHg)

Figure 2.3. Venous and arterial disturbance to blood supply (200mmHg)

PHYSIOLOGY PROTOCOL II – EXCITABLE TISSUES 6

Electromyography
300

250

200

150

100

50

0
5 kg 10 kg 15 kg

no disturbance venous disturbance (60 mmHg)

arterial + venous disturbance (200 mmHg)
Chart 2.1. Relation of load to amplitude of EMG under three conditions – control, disturbed blood
venous supply, and combined disturbed venous and arterial blood supply

Standard Deviations
60

50

40

30

20

10

0
5 kg 10 kg 15 kg

no disturbance venous disturbance venous + arterial disturbance

Chart 2.2. Relation of load to Standard Deviation in the same three conditions

DISCUSSION:
The results are generally consistent with what the expected values would be. The standard
deviations increased according to the load and amount of disturbance to bloody supply, although
surprisingly the deviation showed marked decreased during the final 15kg load test when both
venous and arterial bloody supply were disrupted.
PHYSIOLOGY PROTOCOL II – EXCITABLE TISSUES 7

The work of the muscle increases accordingly with load.

CONCLUSION:
Possible reasons for unexpected results could be that the occlusion time was insufficient, or the
tourniquet (blood pressure cuff) could have been leaky.

EXCITABILITY OF NERVE AND MUSCLE

Frog Simulator (p.11-19)

AIM:
Using the computer program “Simmuscle”, we tested the excitability and thresholds of frog
skeletal muscle via indirect stimulation.

Tasks:
1. Registration of muscle twitch.
2. Summation of contractions (incomplete and complete tetanus)

RESULTS:
Indirect stimulation results performed in class:
Minimum threshold for muscle contraction: 125 mV
Maximum threshold for muscle contraction: 380 mV
Length of one contraction: 75 ms

Figure 1. Isometric muscle twitch

PHYSIOLOGY PROTOCOL II – EXCITABLE TISSUES 8

Figure 2. Incomplete tetanic contractions – summation of twitch contractions

Figure 3. Complete tetanic contractions – maximum tension achieved

PHYSIOLOGY PROTOCOL II – EXCITABLE TISSUES 9

Figure 4. Results of muscle contraction with added workload (weights)

Figure 5. Results of muscle contraction with added workload (weights). Isotonic contraction.
PHYSIOLOGY PROTOCOL II – EXCITABLE TISSUES 10

DISCUSSION:

CHANGES OF MUSCLE CONTRACTION AMPLITUDE DEPENDING ON THE LOAD AT WHICH IT DID

GREATEST WORK, EXPLAIN RELATIONSHIP.

Figure 6. Series and parallel elastic elements in muscle. A. Resting muscle contains elastic elements
in series with the contractile elements (sarcomeres) and in parallel with them. B. During an
isometric contraction, the muscle does not change length, but sarcomeres shorten, stretching the
series elastic elements. C. During isotonic contraction, the contractile elements shorten, stretching
the series elastic elements, before they develop tension to lift the load. D. Muscle begins to
shorten when contractile elements shorten further.
Image and text taken from: http://michaeldmann.net/mann14.html

Isometric contraction: The muscle develops tension, but because it does not shorten, it does no
external work (recall: work = force x distance moved). Careful observation reveals that during an
isometric contraction some sarcomeres of the muscle shorten, stretching other sarcomeres and, in
addition, stretching elastic elements of the muscle, increasing the tension measured at the
tendon. The sarcomeres shorten and stretch the series elastic component even though the muscle
as a whole does not shorten,

Isotonic contraction: If only one end of the muscle is fixed, the muscle shortens and, if it shortens
with a constant load, the contraction is isotonic

“Even though the conditions are right for an isotonic contraction, i.e., the muscle
is fixed at only one end and a weight is attached to the other, the velocity of
shortening will be zero (or negative, i.e., the muscle will lengthen) when the
weight applied to the muscle is more than the muscle can lift. On the other hand,
when there is no weight on the muscle, it will shorten at its maximum velocity.”
<http://michaeldmann.net/mann14.html>

For reference, here is a sample of myogram reading.

PHYSIOLOGY PROTOCOL II – EXCITABLE TISSUES 11

https://www.cliffsnotes.com/assets/277463.png

CONCLUSION:
The smaller the load, the more rapid the contraction.
A minimum tension is produced by a single twitch in the smallest motor unit and a maximum by
the simultaneous fused tetanic contraction in all motor units. As load intensity increases, the
amplitude of the muscle contraction shortens. Skeletal muscles produce the maximum force when
they contract from the resting length.