Force-velocity relationship in single muscle fibres

In recent papers, it has been shown experimentally that the force-velocity relationship in single muscle fibres presents deviations from hyperbolicity at high values of the load (Edman, Mulieri & Scubon-Mulieri, 1976; Edman & Hwang,1977). It has been shown independently and on theoretical bases, that the parameter “b” in Hill's characteristic equation also presents deviations from its normal value at low values of the speed of shortening, i.e. at high values of the load (Morel, Pinset-Härström & Gingold, 1976). In the present paper, it is shown that both the experimental and the theoretical results are in excellent agreement and a theoretical force-velocity relationship is proposed.