Skeletal Muscle

Motor Unit
- made up of a motor neuron and the skeletal muscle fibers.
 Groups of motor units often work together to coordinate the muscle
contractions of a single muscle

Neuromuscular Junction
– a chemical synapse formed by the contact between the motor
neuron and muscle fiber.
 It is at the neuromuscular junction that a motor neuron is able to
transmit a signal to the muscle fiber, causing muscle contraction.
 Excitation-Contraction Coupling
– the physiological process of converting an electrical
stimulus to a mechanical response.

It is a link between action potential generated in the

sarcolemma and the start of a muscle contraction
Energetics of Skeletal
muscle contraction
Phosphagen system
*Immediate ATP supply
*Energy source:
Creatine phosphate
*Produce 1 ATP
Glycolytic-Lactic acid system

*Short-term
*Energy source: Glucose
*Produce 2 ATPs
Aerobic (Oxidative) system
*Long-term ATP supply
*Energy source:
Glucose, Fatty acid,
Amino acids
*Produce 36 ATP
Types of Muscle Contraction
 STATIC CONTRACTION

*Muscle tension exerted against an external load

* Muscle tension is equal to, or weaker than, the external load
*No visible movement of the external load occurs
Isometric Contraction
*Length of muscle does not
change
*Amount of tension increase
during contraction
 DYNAMIC CONTRACTION
*Muscle tension exerted against an external load
*Muscle tension is greater than the external load
*Visible movement of the external load occurs
*Length of muscle
decreases
*Amount of tension
during contraction is
constant
Auxotonic Contraction
*Length of muscle
shortens
*Amount of tension
increase during
contraction due to an
increasing load
Isokinetic Contraction

*Similar to isotonic
*Length of muscle changes
*produce movement of a
constant speed
 Plyocentric Contraction
*A hybrid contraction
*the muscle performs an isotonic concentric
contraction from a stretched position
*Involves a pre-stretching of the muscle to
initiate the Golgi tendon organ reflex
Skeletal Muscle Summation
Skeletal Muscle Summation
Skeletal Muscle Summation
 Skeletal Muscle Summation

Treppe- stepwise increase in contraction tension

Length-Tension and Force-Velocity
Relationship in Skeletal Muscle
Length-Tension Relationship in Skeletal Muscle
Force-Velocity Relationship in Skeletal Muscle
Clinical Conditions
BOTULINUM
TOXIN

TETANUS
TOXIN