5 - Neuromuscular Integration and Control

Abstract

This chapter describes neuromuscular integration and control in the body. The prime mover in animals and man is skeletal muscle. A fundamental property of skeletal muscle is that it is capable of producing active force only through contraction; therefore, to obtain bidirectional movement, muscles must be arranged in antagonistic pairs in which the opposing forces are controlled in the neural system by relatively precise timing relationships that stimulate contraction. The chapter discusses the important elements of the reflex loops that govern the activity of muscle. The signals to contract are directed to the muscle from the α-motoneuron located in the ventral horn of the gray matter of the spinal cord. The chapter discusses the major elements in neuromuscular control loops and the integration of neuromuscular elements in reflex systems.