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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Assessment of Calcium Sparks in Intact Skeletal Muscle Fibers
Published on: February 24, 2014
Catchlike property of skeletal muscle: recent findings and clinical implications
Stuart Binder-Macleod1, Trisha Kesar
1Department of Physical Therapy, 301 McKinly Laboratory, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA. sbinder@udel.edu
Abstract:
The catchlike property of skeletal muscle is the force augmentation produced by the inclusion of an initial, brief, high-frequency burst of two to four pulses at the start of a subtetanic low-frequency stimulation train. Catchlike-inducing trains take advantage of the catchlike property of skeletal muscle and augment muscle performance compared with constant-frequency trains, especially in the fatigued state. Literature spanning more than 30 years has provided comprehensive information about the catchlike property of skeletal muscle. The pattern of the catchlike-inducing train that maximizes muscle performance is fairly similar across different muscles of different species and under various stimulation conditions. This review summarizes the mechanisms of the catchlike property, factors affecting force augmentation, techniques used to identify patterns of catchlike-inducing trains that maximize muscle performance, and potential clinical applications to provide a historical and current perspective of our understanding of the catchlike property.
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