Golgi tendon organ

In the same way that muscle spindles are responsible for the maintenance of muscle length, Golgi tendon organs are responsible for maintenance of muscle tension. 

Increased tension in a skeletal muscle distorts the Golgi tendon organ, producing a generator potential that initiates an action potential. The action potential travels over the Ib neurons to the spinal cord. Afferent action potentials activate the intemeurons, which inhibit the alpha motor neurons back to the skeletal muscle. The increased muscle tension that initiates the reflex can result from contraction of the skeletal muscle or from marked passive stretch of the muscle. 

Both the muscle spindle and the Golgi tendon organ reflexes serve the same basic purpose to... 

Golgi tendon organ reflex. When tension on the tendon becomes extreme, the inhibitory effect from the tendon organ can become so great that it causes a sudden relaxation of the entire muscle. This technique is used in active resistive myofascial therapy. 

In active techniques, the patient assists the physician by actively contracting certain muscles under the guidance of the physician. There are two forms of active myofascial techniques. Active direct techniques are those in which the patient is asked to contract the involved muscle. These techniques use the Golgi tendon organ reflex to result in relaxation of the involved muscle(s). In these techniques, the physician applies isometric resistance to the contraction. (Isometric resistance The physician apphes resistance to the patient s contraction such that little shortening of the muscle is permitted but a great increase in muscle tension results.)... 

The mttscle contraction is too short in duration. In this case the Golgi tendon organ would not be activated. If one supposes a simple contract-relax mechanism, there may not be enough fatigue to allow stretch. 

Hutton RS, Nelson DL. Stretch sensitivity of Golgi tendon organs in fatigued gastrocnemius muscle. Med Sci Sports Med 1986 18(l) 69-74. 

Stauffer EK, et al. Responses of Golgi tendon organs to concurrently active motor units. Brain Res 1986 375 157-162. 

The posture and movement in a human body is powered by muscles. There are more than 600 muscles in the human body. Muscles are connected to the skeleton via tendons, which are composed of strands of collagen tissues (viscoelastic tissue) that allow more stretching compared to the ligaments and are attached to the periosteum of the bone on one end and to the muscle in series at the other end. The connection to the muscles comprises the Golgi tendon organs that signal information about stretching and its rate to the central nervous system. 

Passive techniques are performed by the physician on a relaxed patient. The purpose of the passive techniques described is to place a stretch on the posterior extensor muscles of the cervical region. The stretch must be slowly applied and slowiy released to prevent activation of the Golgi organ tendon reflex. When performed in this manner, the stretched muscles tend to relax and the tone of the muscle is returned to a more normai state. 

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