Passive transverse mechanical properties of skeletal muscle under in vivo compression

The objective of the present study is to determine the passive transverse m echanical properties of skeletal muscle. Compression experiments were perfo rmed on four rat tibialis anterior muscles. To assess the stress- and strai n-distributions in the muscle during the experiment, a plane stress model o f the cross section was developed for each muscle. The incompressible visco elastic Ogden model was used to describe the passive muscle behaviour. The four material parameters were determined by fitting calculated indentation forces on measured indentation forces. The elastic parameters, mu and alpha were 15.6 +/-5.4 kPa and 21.4 +/-5.7, respectively. The viscoelastic param eters, delta and tau. were 0.549 +/-0.056 and 6.01 +/-0.42 s. When applying the estimated material parameters in a three-dimensional finite element mo del, the measured behaviour can be accurately simulated. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.