Fiber Dynamics in Hypertonia
Spasticity, contracture, and muscle weakness are major sources of disability in neurological impairments. Various kinds of therapies such as stretching, strengthening, botulinum toxin type A injection are used to restore muscle function. To elucidate the contributions of muscle fibers and connective tissues on muscle properties and their responses to the treatment, in vitro muscle fiber studies are carried out at the microscopic level to investigate biomechanical properties of single or small bundle muscle fibers associated with spastic hypertonia. The system consists of miniature motor, sensitive force sensor, dynamic image capture system, and environment control. With the microscopic setup, we investigate the biomechanical properties of intact, spastic fiber and fiber with stretching treatment. Changes in sarcomere properties in the various conditions are compared to each other.
Fiber experiment setup
Single fiber under biomechanical testing