Body
The purpose of skeletal muscle is to produce force and, ultimately, movement. As such, this highly specialized tissue has been studied extensively by bioengineers.
Skeletal muscle can be affected to varying levels of severity across a wide range of diagnoses. For example, spasticity can be appreciated following a stroke, spinal cord injury, or in perinatal brain injuries. This, as well as other skeletal muscle disease processes and disorders, can influence an individual's independence and participation in home, school, and community environments.
But, without understanding of typical skeletal muscle architecture, we cannot begin to implement effective treatments. Thus, through application of basic science principles, we are able to learn about normal skeletal muscle design and subsequently develop solutions for management within a compromised system.
Related Publications:
Body
- In Vivo Sarcomere Length Measurement in Whole Muscles during Passive Stretch and Twitch Contractions.
- Skeletal muscle fiber-type specific succinate dehydrogenase activity in cerebral palsy.
- Three Distinct Cell Populations Express Extracellular Matrix Proteins and Increase in Number During Skeletal Muscle Fibrosis.
- Impact of vaginal parity and aging on the architectural design of pelvic floor muscles.
- Reduced skeletal muscle satellite cell number alters muscle morphology after chronic stretch but allows limited serial sarcomere addition.
- Quantification of sarcomere length distribution in whole muscle frozen sections.
- Pregnancy-induced adaptations in the intrinsic structure of rat pelvic floor muscles.
- Reduced satellite cell number in situ in muscular contractures from children with cerebral palsy.
- Collagen crosslinking does not dictate stiffness in a transgenic mouse model of skeletal muscle fibrosis.
- Skeletal muscle intermediate filaments form a stress-transmitting and stress-signaling network.
- High resolution muscle measurements provide insights into equinus contractures in patients with cerebral palsy.