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Myotatic Reflex, also called the stretch reflex, is a neural mechanism that responds to changes in muscle length (stretching) by attempting to resist the change in length. It is a reflex contraction of a rapidly stretched muscle. The rapid stretch of a skeletal muscle causes activation of the muscle spindles which are proprioceptors in the muscle. This causes an afferent impulse to be carried by a sensory neuron to a motor neuron synapse on the spinal cord. The motor neuron carries an impulse back to the muscle causing it to contract. The magnitude and rate of this contraction depends on the magnitude and rate of the original movement causing the rapid stretch. This reflex is especially prevalent during jerky or bouncy movements such as ballistic stretching.
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This page created 17 Sep 2011 22:59
Last updated 18 Sep 2011 04:18
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