Tension delivery from short fibers in long muscles

Abstract

Many of the muscles of larger mammals (including humans) feature fibers that terminate without direct tendinous insertion, so fibers in these muscles must deliver their tension into the muscle belly. This raises many important issues regarding the pathway of tension delivery from the sarcomere to the tendon and the role of series-fiber and connective tissue compliance in the properties of the tension delivered. These issues have potentially great implications for understanding motor control and for strategies for reanimation of inactive muscles.