A METHOD FOR MEASURING MUSCULAR GROUP "CONTROL-ABILITY" AND ITS APPARATUS

抄録

It is a well-known fact that the various muscular movement as one of the human body functions is essential for physical fitness and these movements have been observed in various experimental studies. The muscular movement research as a basic academic area for physical education through the fundamental kinetic method on human movements should play increasingly more important part. The purposes of the study were (1) to establish the method for measuring the control-ability which has never been designated clearly before, (2) to find out the suitable method for calculating the muscular components quantitatively, and (3) to prepare the apparatus of the motor control amplifier by which three mechanical loads will be manufactured continuously. The "control-ability" in the limb muscular movement has been thought to be the main part for regulation of physical activities, but its evaluative method to calculate the quantity of regulative elements, which constitute of three components; elasticity, viscosity and mass inertia, have not been developed yet. The dynamic properties of muscle contraction and its neural control were successfully carried on by numerous physiologists^<8)>, who mostly performed on animals applying the isometric contraction. In our method, the living upper-extremity was used in the examination, to which a special control device was attached with the greater power relative to that of the muscle. The neuromuscular control response was recorded as a variance of the directed control values which are also called "error variables". This type of stimulus has been found to be convenient in order to evaluate the characteristics; (a) of muscle properties, (b) of muscle control-ability, and (c) of the myotatic reflex. This sort of study on the limb control movement should be carefully followed up further in future. The device also was utilized in man to calculate his pursuit or tracking capability as the human operator, and to compare the normal human power with the given power on the apparatus. An essential part of this device was that the lengthening of the muscular group could be recorded when the amplitude in voltage between the external force applied and the force in kilogram exerted by the muscle differed. In this paper the limb muscle contractions are dealt with, for the existing methods and instruments seem to be lacking mechanical accuracy and qualitative measurements. Considering the defects involved in the existing methods for the neuromuscular control capacity of man, a new apparatus to measure more accurately and more quantitively has been developed by the authors, which proved to well-stand to elaborate measurements of muscular control.