Length-Tension Relationships In Skeletal Muscle

The length-tension relationships represent an important part in the function of skeletal muscle. When skeletal muscle is stimulated, passive tissue rapidly changes into dynamic tissue which can produce force. Furthermore, during this process, the length of muscle may decrease, increase, or remain the same. Moreover, the amount of power a muscle can produce depends on its length, velocity and stimulation Powers & Howley (2015). Muscle velocity and stimulation are normally in a constant when creating a length-tension curve. Furthermore, the length-tension curve provides, useful information on the lengths that can generate the greatest or least amount of tension. There are two major parts to the length-tension relationships; the active length-tension
When a muscle fibre is contracted this occurs in reaction to an electric signal from the nervous system. A motor neuron is a nerve cell that links and innervates many muscle fibres. The space in the middle of the motor neuron and muscle fibres is referred to as a neuromuscular junction where communication between the nervous and muscle system arise according to (Kenney & Wilmore and Costill, 2015). A series of events that triggers the muscle fibre to contract is termed as excitation-contraction coupling according to Kenney & Wilmore and Costill (2015) because it starts with the excitation of a motor nerve which results in contraction of the muscle fibres. This development starts with a nerve impulse or action potential from the brain. Kenney & Wilmore and Costill (2015) states when the action potential reaches the axon terminals, nerve endings release a signalling molecule. This process is referred to as depolarization as stated by Kenney & Wilmore and Costill (2015) in order for the muscle cell to perform, an action potential must be produced in the muscle