If a patient with hypocalcemia experiences sustained muscle contraction (tetany), why does the skeletal muscle remain contracted, preventing relaxation?

💡 Explanation

Sustained muscle contraction in hypocalcemia is due to the impaired function of the Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) pumps that remove calcium from the sarcoplasm, causing persistent binding of calcium to troponin C, therefore maintaining contraction, rather than allowing relaxation because the signal has not been terminated.

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