Exercise Physiology: Theory and Application to Fitness and Performance 9th Edition by Scott Powers, Edward Howley

Exercise 16

Describe the general anatomical design of a muscle spindle and discuss its physiological function.

Step 1 of 3

Muscle spindles: They are sensory receptors that are found in the core of a muscle that is involved in detection of changes in the muscle length. They are found in large numbers in locomotor muscles. These receptors act as length detectors. Those muscles that require finest degree of control have highest density of the receptors. They detect stretch of the muscle and send signals to the nervous system which respond and causes the muscle to contract.