Meeting Abstract
Many limb muscles are bound by thick connective tissue that surrounds groups of muscles to form muscle “compartments”. These fascial compartments have clinical significance, as increased pressure within a compartment can compromise the blood supply and function of the tissues enclosed; however, it is unclear how fascial compartments influence normal muscle function. We explored the role of fascial boundaries in the wild turkey ventral interosseous—a bipennate, distal wing muscle bordered by bone and enclosed within a fascial compartment. Using an in situ preparation, we characterized the muscle’s length-tension relationship both before and after surgical removal of the ventral fascia that bounds the interosseous. Along the ascending, descending and plateau regions of the muscle’s length-tension curve, fasciotomy resulted in an average decrease in muscle force output of approximately 17%. Additionally, as muscle length approached optimal length, the force deficit associated with fasciotomy increased. These results along with previous work on dog hindlimb muscles showing that fasciotomy reduces muscle force output (Garfin et al., 1981), suggest that fascia plays a critical role in preservation of muscle force production. The mechanism for fascia’s effect on muscle force output is unclear. Supported by NIH grant AR055295. Garfin S R, Tipton C M, Mubarak S J, et al 1981. Role of fascia in maintenance of muscle tension and pressure. Journal of Applied Physiology 51 (2): 317-320
