Analysis of stretch responses of a myocybernetic model muscle fibre.

The characteristics of the response to stretch of a muscle fibre are investigated using a validated model of skeletal muscle. It is found that the model correctly predicts all the peculiar features of the stretch response: the initial rapid force rise; the subsequent slower rise; the slow decay of the force upon termination of the elongation; and the dependence of these phenomena upon stretching velocity and muscle length. The hypothesis explaining these phenomena is discussed in detail.