Draw the time traces of active state, force, and CE length during a twitch. Click here to return to Outline . Methods of Investigation Students should be aware of the different 'levels' of research in the area of muscle mechanics, from microscopic to macroscopic. The very basic properties of muscle tissue are studied. The best example of this type of research may be the study of the sliding filament hypothesis .
Research is done at the level of intact muscles or muscle-tendon complexes.
Thus, research becomes more relevant for the 'real life' applications, but some sacrifices have to be made in terms of controllability of disturbing factors. The variability of responses to experimental protocols is normally larger than in vitro research. Most of you are probably most familiar with this type of research, in which the properties and behaviour of muscles are studied in humans and animals under real life or laboratory-controlled conditions. The controllability of the experimental conditions is sacrificed, sometimes to great extent. For example, most in vivo studies do not allow full control of the activation level of the muscles during exercises, which is now partly determined by the motivation of the subjects.