Muscular System (Speedy Study Guides). Speedy Publishing

      

      MUSCULAR SYSTEM

      Types of Muscle

      Cardiac MuscleSkeletal MuscleSmooth Muscle

      Components

      Types of Muscle

      Functions

      Muscles

      Muscles are special type of tissues of human body that posses the ability of contraction and relaxation. They can contract actively thus producing force for different body movements.

      Skeletal Muscle

      Smooth Muscle

      Cardiac Muscle

      Striated, under voluntary control, found attached to skeleton, produce major movements of body parts

      Non striated, not under voluntary control, found in soft organs of body, responsible for processes like digestion of food etc.

      Striated, involuntary, present exclusively in heart, responsible for pumping activity of the heart, very strong and tough

      Movements of body parts, Stability and Posture, Heat production, Circulation, Help in Digestion

      The muscular system is the series of muscles throughout the body that moves the skeleton, maintains posture through steady contraction, and generates heat through cell metabolism. Humans have three types of muscle.

      Without muscle, humans could not live. The primary job of muscle is to move the bones of the skeleton, but muscle also makes the heart beat and constitutes the walls of other important hollow organs.

      There are three types of muscle tissue:

      Skeletal Muscle

      This type of muscle creates movement in the body. There are more than 600 skeletal muscles, and they makes up about 40 percent of a person’s weight. When the nervous system signals the muscle to contract, groups of muscles work together to move the skeleton. These signals and movements are nearly involuntary, yet they do require conscious effort. However, humans do not need to concentrate on individual muscles when moving.

      Cardiac Muscle

      Cardiac muscle is involuntary muscle. This type makes up the walls of the heart and creates the steady, rhythmic pulsing that pumps blood through the body from signals from the brain. This muscle type also creates the electrical impulses that produce the heart’s contractions, but hormones and stimuli from the nervous system can also affect these impulses, such as when your heart rate increases when you’re scared.

      Smooth Muscle

      Another involuntary muscle type, smooth muscle makes up the walls of hollow organs, respiratory passageways, and blood vessels. It’s wavelike movements pass things through bodily system, such as food through your stomach or urine through your bladder. Like cardiac muscle, smooth muscle also contracts in response to stimuli and nerve impulses.