When a muscle is stimulated prior to full relaxation of a previous contraction and the second stimuli is added to the first contraction,it is referred to as ________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is called summation. When a muscle fiber is stimulated again before it has completely relaxed from the previous contraction, the second contraction will add to the first one resulting in a stronger contraction. This can lead to tetanus if the stimuli are rapid enough and sustained. Twitch is the response of a muscle fiber to a single stimulus. Fatigue occurs when a muscle is subjected to sustained or repeated contractions and is no longer able to contract at the same force.

When a Muscle Is Stimulated Prior to Full Relaxation of a Previous