L7 Sample Q’s

#1 Part A) For the same neural drive, and at the same joint angle, will muscle force be
greater during an eccentric or a concentric contraction?

Muscle force will be greater in an eccentric contraction.

Part B) Explain your answer.

This is because in an eccentric contraction, the myosin heads grip onto the thin actin filaments.
Here, actin and myosin adhere to form stronger cross bridges as the sarcomeres within the
muscle lengthens. Furthermore, the stretch of elastic components helps to produce more force
here. A lengthened (as is seen in an eccentric contraction) muscle includes much high passive
tension than a shortened muscle (concentric contraction), so less active force and therefore less
drive is needed for the eccentric contraction.

#2 Part A) The soleus muscle has more % slow twitch fibers than the lateral
gastrocnemius, does this means that it will produce more torque?

No, if a muscle has a higher proportion of slow twitch fibers. The muscle will however be more
fatigue resistant.

Part B) Explain your answer with consideration of at least 5 other factors that may also
contribute to torque around a joint.

Slow twitch muscle fibers (which use slow oxidative motor units), are more fatigue resistant than
fast twitch muscle fibres. However type 2a fast twitch fibers (which use fast oxidative motor
units) create more force. Type 2b fast twitch fibers (which use fast glycolytic motor units),
produces more force than the other types however it fatigues more quickly than the other types.

Other factors include;

- Muscle Architecture
- Muscle volume
- Pennation angle
- FIber length
- PCSA
- Contraction Type (eccentric, concentric, isometric
- Neural Drive
- Damage and Fatigue
- Passive forces (SEC, PEC)
- Sarcomere length

#3 How does the patella influence the generation of torque around the knee?
A. By increasing the moment arm of the vastii muscles +4
B. By increasing the amount of bony surface in the knee joint
C. By restricting the PF joint angle
D. By increasing the muscle fiberlength

#4 For the same amount of neural drive which will produce most force?

A. A muscle that is shortening quickly (fast concentric contraction) +1

B. A muscle that is lengthening (eccentric contraction) +3
C. A muscle that is maintaining its length (isometric contraction)
D. A muscle that is shortening slowly (slow concentric contraction)

L8 Sample Q’s

Example short answer exam question (5 minutes in the lecture): A client has two clinical
sessions using biofeedback to assist with increasing neural drive to a particular muscle. During
the second session the amplitude of EMG of the target muscle is smaller – does this mean that
the biofeedback is not working?

This does not mean the biofeedback is not working. It is possible that a number of other factors
may be altering the amplitude of the EMG. +1

Explain your answer by describing 6 factors that can influence the amplitude of an EMG signal.

Biological determinants of changing EMG signal

o number and discharge rate of motor unit (fast rate = more force)
o Number of muscle fibres in motor unit (number of fibres influences size)
o Fibre angle. Some muscles have highly pennate muscle fibres.
o Fibre type (relates to conduction velocity). Fast twitch different conduction
velocity to slow twitch
o Change in position. Position of the electrodes in relation to the muscles
change dramatically when there is a change of position. CROSS TALK – this
is when you pick up electrical activity of other muscles.
Technical determinants of changing EMG signals
o Skin preparation
o Electrical noise (turn off fan, other computers)
o Electrode placement. Must be placed between the motor point and the
myotendinous junction and align electrodes with the fibre direction. Don’t place
them on either side of the motor point because you will get small signal from this. This is due to
each electrode receiving similar information at similar times and cancelling information out
+ 1
Example short answer exam question (to complete at home or if you finish the question
above within 5 minutes): Does the latency of EMG onset provide direct information about the
onset of force production? It does not provide direct information about the onset of force
production because there is a time delay of approximately 11ms between onset of neural drive
and onset of force production at the joint. (Electromechanical Delay) +1

Explain your answer by describing the processes that occur between initiation of a myoelectric
action potential and the onset of muscle torque around a joint:
1. Onset of neural drive: At the initiation of a myoelectric action potential, there is synaptic
transmission, EC coupling and activation of the SEC
2. Onset of muscle fascicle motion: Following this, there is a transmission of muscle force
through the aponeurosis
3. Onset of myotendinous junction motion: Force through aponeurosis causes the motion of the
myotendinous junction.
4. Onset of force production: Force is transmitted through the tendon and torque at the joint is
produced.

+1
What is the name of this delay?
Electromechanical delay +1

L11 Sample Q’s

During the beginning of a 10% MVC contraction, which motor units would be most active? What
are the properties of these units?

Smaller Type 1 motor units would be recruited. These muscle fibres are
- slow oxidative, slow twitch, low force, fatigue resistant.
This motor units are most active because they experience the greatest change in membrane
charge for a given action potential; thus, they reach threshold sooner and produce the earliest
activity detectable.

Motoneuron size, number of muscle fibres, contraction speed, fatigability?

What motor unit recruitment strategies could the nervous system use to increase force from rest
to 20% MVC?
1. Increase number of motor units recruitment
2. Increase the firing rate to the motor unit, so summation occurred
3. Increase the number of type 2 muscle fibres recruited
+1
What happens to the EMG signal with fatigue and why?
During fatigue, the EMG signal will increase. This is because as muscles fatigue, they require
more neuronal input to maintain the same amount of force production as they would before
fatigue occurred. +1
The median frequency decreases too, right? And there’s greater fluctuation of signal?

L15 Sample Q’s

Describe key features of voluntary, Anticipatory, Autonomic and reflex control of posture.
 1. Voluntary:
- Cortically driven, self generated
- occur 200 milli seconds from initiation of signal
- Used for purposeful activity, and have infinite variety
- Output via extrapyramidal and pyramidal tracts.
2. Anticipatory
- Activation of postural muscles before voluntary movement beings (feed-forward)
- Cortically driven. Movement plan from motor cortex plans for these actions too.
- These are memory-based movements, and can adapt with repetition and change.
3. Automatic
- Controlled by level of brainstem and cortex.
- Ankle, hip or step strategy.

4. Reflex (very important for postural control)

- Simplest neural circuit. Involves a sensory receptor, afferent axon and a group of motor
units that receive information in the spinal cord
+2

Further Questions:

Upper Limb
1. How would you describe the elbow joint in terms of its function?
So, overall, we have a composite elbow joint that allows flexion-extension and longitudinal
rotation of the radius around the ulna (permitting pronation-supination).

2. What is the interosseous membrane and what is its function?

● tough fibrous (collaginous) tissue membrane
● First is serves as a site of origin of muscle fibres for deep forearm muscles.
● Second, it can act to transfer forces from the radius to the ulna (and vice versa, but
more of the former).

3. Why is it that the index finger has a higher degree of controlled movement
compared to the middle finger, for example?
● but the basic reason is that the index finger has the Extensor indicis, a muscle
dedicated to the movement of digit II alone.

4. Why are muscle-tendon units in the forearm part of the problem in ‘carpal tunnel
syndrome’?
● Inflammation (and swelling) of the flexor tendon sheathes leads to compression of the median
nerve

5. If you flex maximally at the wrist joint with your fingers fully-extended and then
form ‘a powerful fist’, what happens to the angle that the metacarpals make to the
forearm and why?

Upper Limb

1. Name the superficial muscles of the anterior forearm.

● Brachioradialis
● Fl. Carpi Radialis
● Pronator teres
● Palmaris Longus
● Fl. Carpi Ulnaris

2. How many muscles, and which ones arise from the medial epicondyle of the humerus?
Are there likely to be any variations among this group in the cadavers we have to
examine?
● Fl. Carpi Radialis
● Pronator teres
● Palmaris Longus
● Fl. Carpi Ulnaris
 ● Flexor digitorum superficialis

Yes, we should see variation - example Palmaris Longus. 13% do not have

3. What is the large muscle that passes superficially around the antero-lateral aspect of
the elbow joint to insert on the distal radius?
● Brachioradialis

4. Which muscle has a stout tendon that inserts onto the radial tuberosity?
biceps brachii

5. On the posterior side of the forearm which is the superficial muscle that gives rise to
four separate tendons just proximal to the wrist?
Extensor Digitorum

Lower Limb

1. Which muscles of the leg act to evert the foot?

2. The talo-crural joint allows for plantarflexion and dorsiflexion, but which joint
permits inversion and eversion, and which bones are involved in the joint?
3. What is the function of the heel pad?
4. How does the angle of the knee joint potentially influence the ankle joint position?
5. Which muscle of the leg has the largest moment arm for eversion of the foot and
where does it pass, relative to the joint about which it has this effect?
Lower Limb

1. What muscle would you expect to find in the anterior compartment of the leg?
2. What muscle lies deep to the two heads of gastrocnemius?
3. Which muscle is the likely most powerful dorsiflexor of the foot?
4. What is the function of the extensor retinaculum found at the level of the ankle joint?
5. What is the smallest muscle of the leg?