Highlights
- •Maximum semitendinosus muscle-tendon unit length in vivo was 105% slack length.
- •Knee immobilization decreased knee joint extension range of motion.
- •Immobilization stiffened muscle within limit of muscle-tendon unit length in vivo.
- •Muscle stiffness matched the control beyond limit of muscle-tendon unit length.
- •Collagen content of semitendinosus muscle slightly increased with immobilization.
Abstract
Background
The effects of immobilization on passive muscle mechanical properties are inconsistent
between studies. Here, we investigated the mechanical properties of immobilized muscle
by obtaining length-force curves within and beyond the physiological muscle-tendon
length in a knee-contractured rat model.
Methods
Unilateral rat knee joints were immobilized using an external fixator for up to 21 days.
Length-passive force relationships in the immobilized and contralateral semitendinosus
muscles were determined by tensile testing.
Findings
The semitendinosus muscle-tendon length at end physiologic length in vivo was approximately
at 5% strain of the slack length. Dynamic, elastic, and viscous force (three aspects
of muscle mechanical properties) evoked by instantaneous constant stretch were higher
than contralateral side within the physiological muscle-tendon length limit (strains
of 5% or 5%–7.5% slack length). When beyond muscle-tendon length corresponding to
the maximum knee extension (strains of 7.5% or 10%–20% slack length), there was no
difference between the two sides. Dynamic and elastic stiffness were also larger,
as estimated by tangent angles of length-force curves, at strains of 5% slack length,
and matched contralateral levels at strains of 7.5% slack length on day 21. There
were no differences in semitendinosus muscle-tendon lengths overtime. Despite significantly
reductions in knee extension range of motion, collagen content only showed slight
changes and correlation was hardly detected between collagen and mechanical properties
on day 21.
Interpretation
Viscoelasticity in immobilized semitendinosus muscle increased within the physiological
muscle-tendon length. Collagen content may have little effect on passive force and
stiffness.
Keywords
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: November 07, 2022
Accepted:
October 31,
2022
Received:
November 24,
2021
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
