Tetanized state

A tetanized state occurs when a muscle has been stimulated at a sufficiently high frequency. It is the result of the wave summation of twitches. Each stimulus causes a twitch. If stimuli is delivered slow enough, the tension in the muscle will relax between successive twitches. If stimuli is delivered at high frequency, then the twitches will add up, resulting in tetanus. When tetanized, the contracting tension in the muscle remains constant in a steady state. This is the maximal contraction.