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1 Faculteit Bewegingswetenschappen, Vrije Universiteit, Instituut voor Fundamentele en Klinische Bewegingswetenschappen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2 Faculteit Bewegingswetenschappen, Vrije Universiteit, Instituut voor Fundamentele en Klinische Bewegingswetenschappen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Faculteit Werktuigbouwkunde, Universiteit Twente, Integrated Biomedical Engineering for Restoration of Human Function, Instituut voor Biomedische Technologie, Enschede, The Netherlands
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: p_a_j_b_m_huijing{at}fbw.vu.nl.
Force transmission from muscle fibers via the connective tissue network (i.e. myofascial force transmission) is an important determinant of muscle function. This study investigates the role of myofascial pathways for force transmission from multi-tendoned EDL muscle within an intact anterior crural compartment. Effects of length changes exclusively of head III of rat extensor digitorum longus muscle (EDL III) on myofascial force transmission were assessed. EDL III was lengthened at the distal tendon. For different lengths of EDL III, isometric forces were measured at the distal tendon of EDL III, as well as at the proximal tendon of whole EDL and at the distal tendons of tibialis anterior and extensor hallucis longus muscles (TA+EHL). Lengthening of EDL III caused high changes in force exerted at the distal tendon of EDL III (from 0 to 1.03 ± 0.07 N). In contrast, only minor changes were found in force exerted at the proximal EDL tendon (from 2.37 ± 0.09 N to 2.53 ± 0.10 N). Increasing the length of EDL III decreased TA+EHL force significantly (by 7%, i.e. from 5.62 ± 0.27 N to 5.22 ± 0.32 N). These results show that force is transmitted between EDL III and adjacent tissues via myofascial pathways. Optimal force exerted at the distal tendon of EDL III (1.03 ± 0.07 N) was more than twice the force expected on the basis of the physiological cross-sectional area of EDL III muscle fibers (0.42 N). Therefore, a substantial fraction of this force must originate from sources other than of EDL III. It is concluded that myofascial pathways play an important role for force transmission from multi-tendoned muscles.
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