Time-dependent lateral transmission of force in skeletal muscle

There is experimental evidence to suggest that extensible connective tissues are mechanically time-dependent. In view of this, the mechanics of time-dependent lateral stress transfer in skeletal muscle is investigated by employing a viscoelastic shear lag model for the transfer of tensile stress between muscle fibres and the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) by means of shear stresses at the interface between the muscle fibre and the ECM. The model allows for both mechanical strains in the muscle as well as the strain owing to muscle contraction. Both the ECM and the muscle fibre are modelled as viscoelastic solids. As a result, time-dependent lateral stress transfer can be studied under a variety of loading and muscle stimulation conditions. The results show that the larger the muscle fibre creep time relative to the ECM relaxation time, the longer it takes for the muscle fibre stress to relax. It also shows that the response of the muscle–ECM composite system also depends on the characteristic time of a strain history relative to the characteristic relaxation time of the ECM. The results from the present model provide significant insight into the role of the parameters that characterize the response of the muscle composite system.