Contributions Made by the Medial Gastrocnemius, Lateral Gastrocnemius and Plantaris Muscles to the Knee Joint Moment and to the Flow of Mechanical Energy Through the Lower Limb of Freely Moving Cats

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Abstract

Skeletal muscles are the force or energy producers in the body and play a vital role in the initiation and control of limb movement Many skeletal muscles cross multiple joints and, therefore, have simultaneous influence over the movements ofthesejoints. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the contributions made by the medial gastrocnemius (MG), lateral gastrocnemius (LG) and plantaris (PLT) muscles to the knee joint moment and to the flow of mechanical energy through the hindlimb of cats during walking and jumping. Buckle tendon transducers were surgically implanted on the tendons of the MG, LG and PLT muscles in order to record muscle forces together with ground reaction forces. Knee joint moment arms for each of the muscles were estimated and the individual knee joint moments subsequently calculated during all jumping and walking trials. Kinematic quantities for each segment of the hindlimb model were calculated from digitized images obtained from a high speed film record. Individual muscle power values were calculated and compared with individual values of energy absorbed at the knee. Individual knee moments were found to be significant when compared with the generalized knee joint moment The LG flexion moment was consistently the largest during jumping while the PLT moment was largest during walking. The flexion moments resulted in power absorption at the knee that was likely transported to the paw to aid in ankle extension. Power flow patterns were identified for each segment during walking and jumping and found to be unique to each activity. Large quantities of muscle group power and joint force power were observed contributing to the overall power flow through each segment Jumping was characterized by large distal to proximal joint force powers and flow patterns in both jumping and walking supported the proximal to distal power transfer by the LG, MG and PLT muscles reported previously. The results indicate that power transfer by the LG, MG and PLT muscles occurs in both walking and jumping. Patterns of power are apparently activity specific and are the result of the energetic requirements of each activity.

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