answersLogoWhite

0

When a muscle is applying a little bit of force, action potentials are triggering twitches in the muscle fibers. A skeletal muscle has many many muscle fibers, and a single fiber (cell) is either contracted or relaxed, it cannot get stronger or apply a fraction of its force. A muscle fiber and its connected neuron are called a motor unit

When a muscle is applying a lot of force it is sending many action potentials at once, such that most of the fibers in a muscle are contracting at once. This effect is called motor unit recruitment

When a muscle is "maxing out," it is sending waves of many action potentials in rapid succession, such that the whole muscle is stimulated again while the stimulated cells are still in the relaxing phase. This has the effect of not only reactivating the fibers in the relaxing phase, but also engaging more of the few cells that were left so that more total fibers contract.

When the signals are received in rapid enough succession the total force of the muscle will eventually plateau. This is called unfused tetanus. If applied at an even greater frequency the fibers that are activated will stay activated so that no lag is seen between single fiber twitches. It is at this point that the fibers are all fused and the muscle has reached maximum tetanic tension (This can occur as an effect in patients with tetanus, hence the name)

User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

A maximal sustained muscle contraction is called a?

tetanic contraction.


What is this tetanus stimulus frequency called?

Maximal Tetanus Tension


How does increasing the duration of the rest period affected muscle tension?

Increasing the duration of the rest period increased the duration of the subsequent maximal tension.


Some muscle fibers always contracted?

Summation and/or tetanic contraction. Summation is increased muscle contraction until maximal sustained contraction is achieved. Tetanic contraction is sustained muscle contraction without relaxation. If you're inquiring for the Learning Objective Review in an anatomy and physiology course, the question refers to a condition in which some fibers are always contracted... so I'm not sure if they're looking for summation or tetanic contraction - but I think it would be tetanic contraction as summation is more the process leading up to the tetanic contraction...


What is maximal speed?

Maximal strength is when your stamina improves in your muscle's.


Skeletal muscle twitch differs from a tetanic contraction in that?

Skeletal muscle twitch is a single, brief contraction and relaxation cycle, whereas a tetanic contraction involves sustained, rapid repeated contractions without relaxation in between. Tetanic contractions occur when the muscle is stimulated at a high frequency, leading to a fused contraction.


What does the medical abbreviation PMI mean?

Point Of Maximal ImpulsePoint of Maximum impulse or Point of Maximum Intensitypoint of maximal intensitypoint of maximal impulse


Why is there a maximal voltage for muscles?

All of the muscles in the muscle fiber have contracted when there is a maximal voltage and there is a maximal voltage to prevent injury to our muscles. Dr. Sayed


What is the definition of maximal stimulus?

The maximal stimulus is the strongest stimulus that produces increased muscle contractile force.


What is opposite of maximal?

Minimum


Which is the tide of maximal range?

neap


Factors that increase or decrease maximal muscular performance?

Identify and contrast factors likely to increase or decrease maximal muscular performance.