Analysis of the contractile properties of chemically skinned, or permeabilized, skeletal
muscle fibers offers a powerful means by which to assess muscle function at the level of the
single muscle cell. Single muscle fiber studies are useful in both basic science and clinical
studies. For basic studies, single muscle fiber contractility measurements allow investigation
of fundamental mechanisms of force production, and analysis of muscle function in the
context of genetic manipulations. Clinically, single muscle fiber studies provide useful insight …