The Muscular System

Muscles are responsible for all types of Smooth Muscle Characteristics

body movement Lacks striations
Three basic muscle types are found in the Spindle-shaped cells
body Single nucleus
Skeletal muscle Involuntaryno conscious control
Cardiac muscle Found mainly in the walls of hollow
Smooth muscle organs

Characteristics of Muscles Cardiac Muscle Characteristics

Skeletal and smooth muscle cells are Striations
elongated (muscle cell = muscle fiber) Usually has a single nucleus
Contraction and shortening of muscles is Branching cells
due to the movement of microfilaments
Joined to another muscle cell at an
All muscles share some terminology intercalated disc
Prefixes myo and mys refer to muscle Involuntary
Prefix sarco refers to flesh Found only in the walls of the heart
Voluntarysubject to conscious control
Skeletal Muscle Functions
Connective Tissue Wrappings of Skeletal Produce movement
Muscle
Maintain posture
Cells are surrounded and bundled by
Stabilize joints
connective tissue
Endomysiumencloses a single muscle
Generate heat
fiber Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal Muscle
Perimysiumwraps around a fascicle Sarcolemmaspecialized plasma
(bundle) of muscle fibers membrane
Epimysiumcovers the entire skeletal Myofibrilslong organelles inside muscle
muscle cell
Fasciaon the outside of the epimysium Sarcoplasmic reticulumspecialized
smooth endoplasmic reticulum
Skeletal Muscle Attachments
Epimysium blends into a connective
Sarcomerecontractile unit of a muscle
fiber
tissue attachment
Tendonscord-like structures
Organization of the sarcomere

Mostly collagen fibers

Myofilaments

Often cross a joint due to toughness and

Thick filaments = myosin filaments
small size Thin filaments = actin filaments
Aponeurosessheet-like structures Thin filaments = actin filaments
Attach muscles indirectly to bones, Composed of the protein actin
cartilages, or connective tissue coverings Anchored to the Z disc
Sites of muscle attachment Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)
Bones Stores and releases calcium
Cartilages
Stimulation and Contraction of
Connective tissue coverings Single Skeletal Muscle Cells
 Excitability (also called responsiveness or Types of Graded Responses
irritability)ability to receive and respond to a Twitch
stimulus Single, brief contraction
Contractilityability to shorten when an Not a normal muscle function
adequate stimulus is received
Summing of contractions
Extensibilityability of muscle cells to be
One contraction is immediately followed
stretched
by another
Elasticityability to recoil and resume
Unfused (incomplete) tetanus
resting length after stretching
Some relaxation occurs between
The Nerve Stimulus and Action Potential contractions but nerve stimuli arrive at an even
Skeletal muscles must be stimulated by a faster rate than during summing of contractions
motor neuron (nerve cell) to contract Fused (complete) tetanus
Motor unitone motor neuron and all the No evidence of relaxation before the
skeletal muscle cells stimulated by that neuron following contractions
Neuromuscular junction
Energy for Muscle Contraction
Association site of axon terminal of the
Initially, muscles use stored ATP for
motor neuron and muscle
energy
Synaptic cleft
ATP bonds are broken to release energy
Gap between nerve and muscle
Only 46 seconds worth of ATP is stored
Nerve and muscle do not make contact by muscles
Area between nerve and muscle is filled After this initial time, other pathways must
with interstitial fluid be utilized to produce ATP
Transmission of Nerve Impulse to Muscle Energy for Muscle Contraction
Calcium ion entry causes some synaptic Aerobic respiration
vesicles to release their contents (acetylcholine,
A series of metabolic pathways occur in
a neurotransmitter) by exocytosis
the mitochondria
Neurotransmitterchemical released by
This is a slower reaction that requires
nerve upon arrival of nerve impulse in the axon
continuous oxygen
terminal
The neurotransmitter for skeletal muscle
Carbon dioxide and water are produced
is acetylcholine (ACh) Anaerobic glycolysis and lactic acid
formation
Contraction of Skeletal Muscle Reaction that breaks down glucose
Muscle fiber contraction is all or none without oxygen
Within a skeletal muscle, not all fibers Pyruvic acid is converted to lactic acid
may be stimulated during the same interval
Muscle Fatigue and Oxygen Deficit
Different combinations of muscle fiber
contractions may give differing responses When a muscle is fatigued, it is unable to
contract even with a stimulus
Graded responsesdifferent degrees of
skeletal muscle shortening Common cause for muscle fatigue is
oxygen debt
Graded responses can be produced by
changing: Increasing acidity (from lactic acid) and
lack of ATP causes the muscle to contract less
The frequency of muscle stimulation
The number of muscle cells being Types of Muscle Contractions
stimulated at one time
 Isotonic contractions Circumduction
Myofilaments are able to slide past each Combination of flexion, extension,
other during contractions abduction, and adduction
The muscle shortens and movement Common in ball-and-socket joints
occurs
Example: bending the knee; rotating the Special Movements
arm Dorsiflexion
Isometric contractions Lifting the foot so that the superior
Tension in the muscles increases surface approaches the shin (toward the
dorsum)
The muscle is unable to shorten or
produce movement Plantar flexion
Example: push against a wall with bent Depressing the foot (pointing the toes)
elbows Planting the foot toward the sole
Inversion
Muscle Tone
Turn sole of foot medially
Some fibers are contracted even in a
Eversion
relaxed muscle
Different fibers contract at different times
Turn sole of foot laterally
to provide muscle tone and to be constantly Supination
ready Forearm rotates laterally so palm faces
anteriorly
Five Golden Rules of Skeletal Muscle Activity Radius and ulna are parallel
Muscles and Body Movements Pronation
Movement is attained due to a muscle Forearm rotates medially so palm faces
moving an attached bone posteriorly
Muscles are attached to at least two Radius and ulna cross each other like an
points X
Origin Opposition
Attachment to a moveable bone Move thumb to touch the tips of other
fingers on the same hand
Insertion
Attachment to an immovable bone Types of Muscles

Types of Body Movements

Prime movermuscle with the major
responsibility for a certain movement
Rotation
Antagonistmuscle that opposes or
Movement of a bone around its reverses a prime mover
longitudinal axis
Synergistmuscle that aids a prime
Common in ball-and-socket joints mover in a movement and helps prevent rotation
Example is when you move atlas around Fixatorstabilizes the origin of a prime
the dens of axis (shake your head no) mover
Abduction
Movement of a limb away from the Naming Skeletal Muscles
midline By direction of muscle fibers
Adduction Example: Rectus (straight)
Opposite of abduction By relative size of the muscle
Movement of a limb toward the midline Example: Maximus (largest)
 By location of the muscle Rectus abdominisflexes vertebral
Example: Temporalis (temporal bone) column and compresses abdominal contents
(defecation, childbirth, forced breathing)
By number of origins
Example: Triceps (three heads)
External obliqueflex vertebral column;
rotate trunk and bend it laterally
By location of the muscles origin and
Internal obliqueflex vertebral column;
insertion
rotate trunk and bend it laterally
Example: Sterno (on the sternum)
Transversus abdominiscompresses
By shape of the muscle abdominal contents
Example: Deltoid (triangular) Posterior muscles
By action of the muscle Trapeziuselevates, depresses, adducts,
Example: Flexor and extensor (flexes or and stabilizes the scapula
extends a bone) Latissimus dorsiextends and adducts
the humerus
Head and Neck Muscles
Erector spinaeback extension
Facial muscles
Quadratus lumborumflexes the spine
Frontalisraises eyebrows laterally
Orbicularis oculicloses eyes, squints, Deltoidarm abduction
blinks, winks
Orbicularis oriscloses mouth and Muscles of the Upper Limb
protrudes the lips Biceps brachiisupinates forearm, flexes
Buccinatorflattens the cheek, chews elbow
Zygomaticusraises corners of the Brachialiselbow flexion
mouth Brachioradialisweak muscle; elbow
Chewing muscles flexion
Massetercloses the jaw and elevates Triceps brachiielbow extension
mandible (antagonist to biceps brachii)
Temporalissynergist of the masseter,
closes jaw Muscles of the Lower Limb
Neck muscles Muscles causing movement at the hip
joint include:
Platysmapulls the corners of the mouth
inferiorly Gluteus maximuship extension
Sternocleidomastoidflexes the neck, Gluteus mediuship abduction, steadies
rotates the head pelvis when walking
Iliopsoaship flexion, keeps the upper
Muscles of Trunk, Shoulder, Arm body from falling backward when standing erect
Anterior muscles Adductor musclesadduct the thighs
Pectoralis majoradducts and flexes the Muscles causing movement at the knee
humerus joint
Intercostal muscles Hamstring groupthigh extension and
External intercostalsraise rib cage knee flexion
during inhalation Biceps femoris
Internal intercostalsdepress the rib Semimembranosus
cage to move air out of the lungs when you Semitendinosus
exhale forcibly
Muscles causing movement at the knee
Muscles of the abdominal girdle joint
 Sartoriusflexes the thigh
Quadriceps groupextends the knee
Rectus femoris
Vastus muscles (three)
Muscles causing movement at ankle and
foot
Tibialis anteriordorsiflexion, foot
inversion
Extensor digitorum longustoe extension
and dorsiflexion of the foot
Fibularis musclesplantar flexion, foot
eversion
Soleusplantar flexion