Muscle Tension in Skeletal Muscle

Vocabulary flashcards covering the concepts, phases, and experimental recording of muscle tension and muscle twitches in skeletal muscle.

Muscle tension

The force generated when a muscle is stimulated to contract.

Myogram

A graphical recording of muscle tension over time produced in laboratory experiments.

Muscle twitch

A single contraction-relaxation cycle produced by a muscle in response to a stimulus, consisting of a latent period, contraction period, and relaxation period.

Latent period

The initial phase of a muscle twitch occurring immediately after the stimulus and before muscle contraction begins.

Contraction period

The phase of a muscle twitch during which muscle tension increases.

Relaxation period

The phase of a muscle twitch during which muscle tension decreases back to baseline with the release of crossbridges.