What is the difference between GTO and muscle spindles?

Functionally, the GTO is in contrast to the muscle spindles, which induces contraction of muscles….Difference Between Muscle Spindle and Golgi Tendon.

Muscle Spindle Golgi Tendon
What are they?
organisation with extrafusal skeletal muscle
Are in parallel with extrafusal skeletal muscle Are in series with extrafusal skeletal muscle
Innervated by

What is the GTO muscle?

The Golgi tendon organ (GTO) (also called Golgi organ, tendon organ, neurotendinous organ or neurotendinous spindle) is a proprioceptor – a type of sensory receptor that senses changes in muscle tension.

What are the differences between the muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organ GTO?

The key difference between muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organ is that muscle spindle is a sensory organ that senses the changes in muscle length and the rate of lengthening, while Golgi tendon organ is a sensory organ that senses the changes in muscle tension.

What does a Golgi tendon organ GTO sense?

When people lift weights, the golgi tendon organ is the sense organ that tells how much tension the muscle is exerting. If there is too much muscle tension the golgi tendon organ will inhibit the muscle from creating any force (via a reflex arc), thus protecting the you from injuring itself.

Where is the GTO located?

musculotendinous junction
The GTO is located at the musculotendinous junction and is positioned in series with extrafusal muscle fibers and tendon. A single axon enters the GTO and then branches into many unmyelinated endings that are woven in and between the collagen fibers at the musculotendinous junction.

What is the function of muscle spindles?

Functionally, muscle spindles are stretch detectors, i.e. they sense how much and how fast a muscle is lengthened or shortened [19]. Accordingly, when a muscle is stretched, this change in length is transmitted to the spindles and their intrafusal fibers which are subsequently similarly stretched.

What is GTO massage?

GTOs are nerve receptors that monitor muscle tension and if they detect excessive load or stretch, they will cause your muscle to relax so you do not tear a tendon or muscle. When applied during treatment, with firm pressure for 30 seconds, your muscles relax to reduce tone and spasm.

How do you release a GTO?

The theory behind this technique is that the practitioner grasps the two ends of a muscle and pulls them closer together. Supposedly, pulling the two ends of a muscle closer would stimulate the GTO and therefore cause the muscle to stop its contraction.

How do you stimulate a GTO?

Static stretching is one example of how muscle tension signals a GTO response. So, when you hold a low-force stretch for more than seven seconds, the increase in muscle tension activates the GTO, which temporarily inhibits muscle spindle activity (thus reducing tension in the muscle), and allows for further stretching.

What are muscle spindles?

How do muscle spindles help maintain posture?

How do Muscle Spindles Help Maintain Posture? It is a source of muscle tone as it provides a resistance to stretch and is involved in the stretch reflex. The stretch reflex allows for protection from painful or damaging stimuli. The static component of the spindles is involved in maintaining upright posture.