Muscle-tendon unit design and tuning for power enhancement, power attenuation, and reduction of metabolic cost.

ABSTRACT: The contractile elements in skeletal muscle fibers operate in series with elastic elements, tendons and potentially aponeuroses, in muscle-tendon units (MTUs). Elastic strain energy (ESE), arising from either work done by muscle fibers or the energy of the body, can be stored in these series elastic elements (SEEs). MTUs vary considerably in their design in terms of the relative lengths and stiffnesses of the muscle fibers and SEEs, and the force and work generating capacities of the muscle fibers. However, within an MTU it is thought that contractile and series elastic elements can be matched or tuned to maximize ESE storage. The use of ESE is thought to improve locomotor performance by enhancing contractile element power during activities such as jumping, attenuating contractile element

SUBMITTER: Holt NC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10949972 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature