What is Coactivation and what is its function?

What is Coactivation and what is its function?

Function. Muscle coactivation allows muscle groups surrounding a joint to become more stable. This is due to both muscles (or sets of muscles) contracting at the same time, which produces compression on the joint. The joint is able to become stiffer and more stable due to this action.

What is Coactivation of a muscle?

Muscle coactivation or cocontraction is the simultaneous activation of agonist and antagonist muscles. It is believed to be an important motor control strategy to improve joint stability1–3 and movement accuracy.

What muscle is the agonist?

The agonist is typically the muscle that is the largest, most superficial muscle crossing the joint in motion, and is concentrically contracting or shortening the length of the muscle. An example of agonist muscle is the triceps brachii contracting during an elbow extension. See also: antagonist muscle.

What does co contraction mean?

The co-contraction is defined as a simultaneously contraction of two or more muscles around a joint [7] and it is a determinant factor to the evaluation of motor control (measuring muscle synergism [8] motor learning and dynamic joint stability (minimising the perturbing effects of different environments) [6,9].

What is coactivation phenomenon?

Muscle coactivation is a phenomenon in which a muscle is activated coordinately with another muscle. Coactivation of the muscles stabilizes a joint, although the mechanism is not well understood. Muscular coactivation is thought to be required for fine movements.

Which describes the phenomenon of coactivation?

Which describes the phenomenon of “coactivation”? It is the relaxation of the antagonist muscle during the contraction of the agonist muscle. It is the simultaneous contraction of other agonist muscles.

What is coactivation psychology?

n. the activation of the same response at the same time by two different stimuli.

Where does Brachioradialis attach?

The brachioradialis is a superficial, fusiform muscle on the lateral side of the forearm. It originates proximally on the lateral supracondylar ridge of the humerus. It inserts distally on the radius, at the base of its styloid process. Near the elbow, it forms the lateral limit of the cubital fossa, or elbow pit.

What is reciprocal activation?

Reciprocal activation may be thus defined as the differential antagonist muscle activation which leads to an active external wrist torque. Co-contraction is defined as the common antagonist muscle activation that does not lead to an external torque.

What is Alpha Gamma coactivation?

Alpha-‐gamma coactivation is a way the muscle maintains this length. As the muscle contracts and relaxes, the sensory neuron relays information to the central nervous system about the change in muscle status. The activation of these motor neurons causes the intrafusal and extrafusal fibers to contract.

What are the mechanisms of muscle coactivation in the hand?

Typically, activation of this muscle is accompanied by activation of intrinsic muscles of the hand that combine flexor action at the metacarpophalangeal joints with extensor action at more distal finger joints via the so-called extensor mechanism ( Landsmeer and Long 1965; Long 1968 ).

What makes up the anatomy of the hand?

Anatomy of the Hand The hand is composed of many different bones, muscles, and ligaments that allow for a large amount of movement and dexterity. There are 3 major types of bones in the hand itself, including:

Can a coactivation index be a function of both muscles?

Indeed, for nonzero, even very low, activation levels of both muscles within an agonist-antagonist pair, coactivation index, such as CEMG, is a function of activation of both muscles, but when one of the muscles becomes quiescent, the index stops being a function of the other muscle activation level.

How does the blood flow in the hand?

The sheaths are tubular structures that surround part of the fingers. The tendons connect muscles in the arm or hand to the bone to allow movement. In addition, there are arteries, veins and nerves within the hand that provide blood flow and sensation to the hand and fingers.