Examines the structural, mechanical and neurophysiological properties of skeletal muscle as they relate to force and movement and translates these properties into rigorous and mechanically consistent models of skeletal muscle. Including a chapter on modelling skeletal muscle using simple shapes and a comprehensive discussion of the molecular events of muscular force production. Theoretical Models of Skeletal Muscle will be invaluable reading for professionals and students within the fields of biomechanics, kinesiology, sports science and physiotherapy. The workings of the "cross-bridge model," the "Hill model," the "energetics model," and a model based on continuum mechanics are evaluated in detail.

Dieses Teilgebiet der Biomechanik ist für Sportwissenschaftler und Physiologen von großer Bedeutung! Die umfassende, aktuelle Abhandlung der Skelettmuskelmechanik beschäftigt sich mit drei Themenkreisen: den Mechanismen der Skelettmuskelkontraktion, der Muskelfunktion in vivo und theoretischen Modellen der Muskelfunktion. Auch ein knapper historischer Abriß und ein Ausblick auf noch offene Fragen fehlen nicht. (08/00)

The picture on the front cover of this book depicts a young man pulling a fishnet, a task of practical relevance for many centuries. It is a complex task, involving load transmission throughout the body, intricate balance, and eye head-hand coordination. The quest toward understanding how we perform such tasks with skill and grace, often in the presence of unpredictable pertur bations, has a long history. However, despite a history of magnificent sculptures and drawings of the human body which vividly depict muscle ac tivity and interaction, until more recent times our state of knowledge of human movement was rather primitive. During the past century this has changed; we now have developed a considerable database regarding the com position and basic properties of muscle and nerve tissue and the basic causal relations between neural function and biomechanical movement. Over the last few decades we have also seen an increased appreciation of the impor tance of musculoskeletal biomechanics: the neuromotor system must control movement within a world governed by mechanical laws. We have now col lected quantitative data for a wealth of human movements. Our capacity to understand the data we collect has been enhanced by our continually evolving modeling capabilities and by the availability of computational power. What have we learned? This book is designed to help synthesize our current knowledge regarding the role of muscles in human movement. The study of human movement is not a mature discipline.

Richly illustrated and presented in clear, concise language, Biomechanics of Skeletal Muscles is an essential resource for those seeking advanced knowledge of muscle biomechanics. Written by leading experts Vladimir Zatsiorsky and Boris Prilutsky, the text is one of the few to look at muscle biomechanics in its entirety—from muscle fibers to muscle coordination—making it a unique contribution to the field. Using a blend of experimental evidence and mechanical models, Biomechanics of Skeletal Muscles provides an explanation of whole muscle biomechanics at work in the body in motion. The book first addresses the mechanical behavior of single muscles—from the sarcomere level up to the entire muscle. The architecture of human muscle, the mechanical properties of tendons and passive muscles, the biomechanics of active muscles, and the force transmission and shock absorption aspects of muscle are explored in detail. Next, the various issues of muscle functioning during human motion are addressed. The transformation from muscle force to joint movements, two-joint muscle function, eccentric muscle action, and muscle coordination are analyzed. This advanced text assumes some knowledge of algebra and calculus; however, the emphasis is on understanding physical concepts. Higher-level computational descriptions are placed in special sections in the later chapters of the book, allowing those with a strong mathematical background to explore this material in more detail. Readers who choose to skip over these sections will find that the book still provides a strong conceptual understanding of advanced topics. Biomechanics of Skeletal Muscles also contains numerous special features that facilitate readers’ comprehension of the topics presented. More than 300 illustrations and accompanying explanations provide an extensive visual representation of muscle biomechanics. Refresher sidebars offer brief reminders of mathematical and biomechanical concepts, and From the Literature sidebars present practical examples that illustrate the concepts under discussion. Chapter summaries and review questions provide an opportunity for reflection and self-testing, and reference lists at the end of each chapter provide a starting point for further study. Biomechanics of Skeletal Muscles offers a thorough explanation of whole muscle biomechanics, bridging the gap between foundational biomechanics texts and scientific literature. With the information found in this text, readers can prepare themselves to better understand the latest in cutting-edge research. Biomechanics of Skeletal Muscles is the third volume in the Biomechanics of Human Motion series. Advanced readers in human movement science gain a comprehensive understanding of the biomechanics of human motion as presented by one of the world’s foremost researchers on the subject, Dr. Vladimir Zatsiorsky. The series begins with Kinematics of Human Motion, which details human body positioning and movement in three dimensions; continues with Kinetics of Human Motion, which examines the forces that create body motion and their effects; and concludes with Biomechanics of Skeletal Muscles, which explains the action of the biological motors that exert force and produce mechanical work during human movement.

An overview of biomechanical modeling of human soft tissue using nonlinear theoretical mechanics and incremental finite element methods, useful for computer simulation of the human musculoskeletal system.

Understanding the molecular mechanism of muscle contraction started with the discovery that striated muscle is composed of interdigitating filaments which slide against each other. Sliding filaments and the working-stroke mechanism provide the framework for individual myosin motors to act in parallel, generating tension and loaded shortening with an efficient use of chemical energy. Our knowledge of this exquisitely structured molecular machine has exploded in the last four decades, thanks to a bewildering array of techniques for studying intact muscle, muscle fibres, myofibrils and single myosin molecules. After reviewing the mechanical and biochemical background, this monograph shows how old and new experimental discoveries can be modelled, interpreted and incorporated into a coherent mathematical theory of contractility at the molecular level. The theory is applied to steady-state and transient phenomena in muscle fibres, wing-beat oscillations in insect flight muscle, motility assays and single-molecule experiments with optical trapping. Such a synthesis addresses major issues, most notably whether a single myosin motor is driven by a working stroke or a ratchet mechanism, how the working stroke is coupled to phosphate release, and whether one cycle of attachment is driven by the hydrolysis of one molecule of ATP. Ways in which the theory can be extended are explored in appendices. A separate theory is required for the cooperative regulation of muscle by calcium via tropomyosin and troponin on actin filaments. The book reviews the evolution of models for actin-based regulation, culminating in a model motivated by cryo-EM studies where tropomyosin protomers are linked to form a continuous flexible chain. It also explores muscle behaviour as a function of calcium level, including emergent phenomena such as spontaneous oscillatory contractions and direct myosin regulation by its regulatory light chains. Contraction models can be extended to all levels of calcium-activation by embedding them in a cooperative theory of thin-filament regulation, and a method for achieving this grand synthesis is proposed. Dr. David Aitchison Smith is a theoretical physicist with thirty years of research experience in modelling muscle contractility, in collaboration with experimental groups in different laboratories.

Every year workers' low-back, hand, and arm problems lead to time away from jobs and reduce the nation's economic productivity. The connection of these problems to workplace activities-from carrying boxes to lifting patients to pounding computer keyboards-is the subject of major disagreements among workers, employers, advocacy groups, and researchers. Musculoskeletal Disorders and the Workplace examines the scientific basis for connecting musculoskeletal disorders with the workplace, considering people, job tasks, and work environments. A multidisciplinary panel draws conclusions about the likelihood of causal links and the effectiveness of various intervention strategies. The panel also offers recommendations for what actions can be considered on the basis of current information and for closing information gaps. This book presents the latest information on the prevalence, incidence, and costs of musculoskeletal disorders and identifies factors that influence injury reporting. It reviews the broad scope of evidence: epidemiological studies of physical and psychosocial variables, basic biology, biomechanics, and physical and behavioral responses to stress. Given the magnitude of the problem-approximately 1 million people miss some work each year-and the current trends in workplace practices, this volume will be a must for advocates for workplace health, policy makers, employers, employees, medical professionals, engineers, lawyers, and labor officials.