The Muscular System
The Muscular System
Muscles are responsible for all types of body movement
Three basic muscle types are found in the body
Skeletal muscle
Cardiac muscle
Smooth muscle
Characteristics of Muscles
Skeletal and smooth muscle cells are elongated (muscle cell =
muscle fiber)
Contraction of muscles is due to the movement of microfilaments
All muscles share some terminology
Prefixes myo and mys refer to “muscle”
Prefix sarco refers to “flesh”
Comparison of Skeletal, Cardiac, and Smooth Muscles
Skeletal Muscle Characteristics
Most are attached by tendons to bones
Cells are multinucleate
Striated—have visible banding
Voluntary—subject to conscious control
Connective Tissue Wrappings of Skeletal Muscle
Cells are surrounded and bundled by connective tissue
Endomysium—encloses a single muscle fiber
Perimysium—wraps around a fascicle (bundle) of muscle fibers
Epimysium—covers the entire skeletal muscle
Fascia—on the outside of the epimysium
Skeletal Muscle Attachments
Epimysium blends into a connective tissue attachment
Tendons—cord-like structures
Mostly collagen fibers
Often cross a joint due to toughness and small size
Aponeuroses—sheet-like structures
Attach muscles indirectly to bones, cartilages, or connective tissue
coverings
Skeletal Muscle Attachments
Sites of muscle attachment
Bones
Cartilages
Connective tissue coverings
Smooth Muscle Characteristics
Lacks striations
Spindle-shaped cells
Single nucleus
Involuntary—no conscious control
Found mainly in the walls of hollow organs
Cardiac Muscle Characteristics
Striations
Usually has a single nucleus
Branching cells
Joined to another muscle cell at an intercalated disc
Involuntary
Found only in the heart
Skeletal Muscle Functions
Produce movement
Maintain posture
Stabilize joints
Generate heat
Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal Muscle
Sarcolemma—specialized plasma membrane
Myofibrils—long organelles inside muscle cell
Sarcoplasmic reticulum—specialized smooth endoplasmic reticulum
Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal Muscle
Myofibrils are aligned to give distinct bands
I band = light band
Contains only thin filaments
A band = dark band
Contains the entire length of the thick filaments
Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal Muscle
Sarcomere—contractile unit of a muscle fiber
Organization of the sarcomere
Myofilaments
Thick filaments = myosin filaments
Thin filaments = actin filaments
Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal Muscle
Thick filaments = myosin filaments
Composed of the protein myosin
Has ATPase enzymes
Myosin filaments have heads (extensions, or cross bridges)
Myosin and actin overlap somewhat
Thin filaments = actin filaments
Composed of the protein actin
Anchored to the Z disc
Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal Muscle
At rest, there is a bare zone that lacks actin filaments called the H
zone
Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)
Stores and releases calcium
Surrounds the myofibril
Stimulation and Contraction of Single Skeletal Muscle Cells
Excitability (also called responsiveness or irritability)—ability to
receive and respond to a stimulus
Contractility—ability to shorten when an adequate stimulus is
received
Extensibility—ability of muscle cells to be stretched
Elasticity—ability to recoil and resume resting length after stretching
The Nerve Stimulus and Action Potential
Skeletal muscles must be stimulated by a motor neuron (nerve cell)
to contract
Motor unit—one motor neuron and all the skeletal muscle cells
stimulated by that neuron
The Nerve Stimulus and Action Potential
Neuromuscular junction
Association site of axon terminal of the motor neuron and muscle
The Nerve Stimulus and Action Potential
Synaptic cleft
Gap between nerve and muscle
Nerve and muscle do not make contact
Area between nerve and muscle is filled with interstitial fluid
Transmission of Nerve Impulse to Muscle
Neurotransmitter—chemical released by nerve upon arrival of nerve
impulse
The neurotransmitter for skeletal muscle is acetylcholine (ACh)
Acetylcholine attaches to receptors on the sarcolemma
Sarcolemma becomes permeable to sodium (Na+)
Transmission of Nerve Impulse to Muscle
Sodium rushes into the cell generating an action potential
Once started, muscle contraction cannot be stopped
Transmission of Nerve Impulse to Muscle
The Sliding Filament Theory of Muscle Contraction
Activation by nerve causes myosin heads (cross bridges) to attach
to binding sites on the thin filament
Myosin heads then bind to the next site of the thin filament and pull
them toward the center of the sarcomere
This continued action causes a sliding of the myosin along the actin
The result is that the muscle is shortened (contracted)
Contraction of Skeletal Muscle
Muscle fiber contraction is “all or none”
Within a skeletal muscle, not all fibers may be stimulated during the
same interval
Different combinations of muscle fiber contractions may give
differing responses
Graded responses—different degrees of skeletal muscle shortening
Contraction of Skeletal Muscle
Graded responses can be produced by changing
The frequency of muscle stimulation
The number of muscle cells being stimulated at one time
Types of Graded Responses
Twitch
Single, brief contraction
Not a normal muscle function
Types of Graded Responses
Tetanus (summing of contractions)
One contraction is immediately followed by another
The muscle does not completely
return to a resting state
The effects are added
Types of Graded Responses
Unfused (incomplete) tetanus
Some relaxation occurs between contractions
The results are summed
Types of Graded Responses
Fused (complete) tetanus
No evidence of relaxation before the following contractions
The result is a sustained muscle contraction
Muscle Response to Strong Stimuli
Muscle force depends upon the number of fibers stimulated
More fibers contracting results in greater muscle tension
Muscles can continue to contract unless they run out of energy
Energy for Muscle Contraction
Initially, muscles use stored ATP for energy
ATP bonds are broken to release energy
Only 4–6 seconds worth of ATP is stored by muscles
After this initial time, other pathways must be utilized to produce ATP
Energy for Muscle Contraction
Direct phosphorylation of ADP by creatine phosphate (CP)
Muscle cells store CP
CP is a high-energy molecule
After ATP is depleted, ADP is left
CP transfers energy to ADP, to regenerate ATP
CP supplies are exhausted in less than 15 seconds
Energy for Muscle Contraction
Aerobic respiration
Glucose is broken down to carbon dioxide and water, releasing
energy (ATP)
This is a slower reaction that requires continuous oxygen
A series of metabolic pathways occur in the mitochondria
Energy for Muscle Contraction
Anaerobic glycolysis and lactic acid formation
Reaction that breaks down glucose without oxygen
Glucose is broken down to pyruvic acid to produce some ATP
Pyruvic acid is converted to lactic acid
This reaction is not as efficient, but is fast
Huge amounts of glucose are needed
Lactic acid produces muscle fatigue
Energy for Muscle Contraction
Muscle Fatigue and Oxygen Deficit
When a muscle is fatigued, it is unable to contract even with a
stimulus
Common cause for muscle fatigue is oxygen debt
Oxygen must be “repaid” to tissue to remove oxygen deficit
Oxygen is required to get rid of accumulated lactic acid
Increasing acidity (from lactic acid) and lack of ATP causes the
muscle to contract less
Types of Muscle Contractions
Isotonic contractions
Myofilaments are able to slide past each other during contractions
The muscle shortens and movement occurs
Isometric contractions
Tension in the muscles increases
The muscle is unable to shorten or produce movement
Muscle Tone
Some fibers are contracted even in a relaxed muscle
Different fibers contract at different times to provide muscle tone
The process of stimulating various fibers is under involuntary
control
Effect of Exercise on Muscles
Exercise increases muscle size, strength, and endurance
Aerobic (endurance) exercise (biking, jogging) results in stronger,
more flexible muscles with greater resistance to fatigue
Makes body metabolism more efficient
Improves digestion, coordination
Resistance (isometric) exercise (weight lifting) increases muscle size
and strength
Five Golden Rules of Skeletal Muscle Activity
Muscles and Body Movements
Movement is attained due to a muscle moving an attached bone
Muscles are attached to at least two points
Origin
Attachment to a moveable bone
Insertion
Attachment to an immovable bone
Types of Ordinary Body Movements
Flexion
Decreases the angle of the joint
Brings two bones closer together
Typical of hinge joints like knee and elbow
Extension
Opposite of flexion
Increases angle between two bones
Types of Ordinary Body Movements
Rotation
Movement of a bone around its longitudinal axis
Common in ball-and-socket joints
Example is when you move atlas around the dens of axis (shake your
head “no”)
Types of Ordinary Body Movements
Abduction
Movement of a limb away from the midline
Adduction
Opposite of abduction
Movement of a limb toward the midline
Types of Ordinary Body Movements
Circumduction
Combination of flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction
Common in ball-and-socket joints
Special Movements
Dorsiflexion
Lifting the foot so that the superior surface approaches the shin
Plantar flexion
Depressing the foot (pointing the toes)
Special Movements
Inversion
Turn sole of foot medially
Eversion
Turn sole of foot laterally
Special Movements
Supination
Forearm rotates laterally so palm faces anteriorly
Pronation
Forearm rotates medially so palm faces posteriorly
Special Movements
Opposition
Move thumb to touch the tips of other fingers on the same hand
Special Movements
Types of Muscles
Prime mover—muscle with the major responsibility for a certain
movement
Antagonist—muscle that opposes or reverses a prime mover
Synergist—muscle that aids a prime mover in a movement and helps
prevent rotation
Fixator—stabilizes the origin of a prime mover
Naming Skeletal Muscles
By direction of muscle fibers
Example: Rectus (straight)
By relative size of the muscle
Example: Maximus (largest)
Naming Skeletal Muscles
By location of the muscle
Example: Temporalis (temporal bone)
By number of origins
Example: Triceps (three heads)
Naming Skeletal Muscles
By location of the muscle’s origin and insertion
Example: Sterno (on the sternum)
By shape of the muscle
Example: Deltoid (triangular)
By action of the muscle
Example: Flexor and extensor (flexes or extends a bone)
Arrangement of Fascicles
Head and Neck Muscles
Facial muscles
Frontalis—raises eyebrows
Orbicularis oculi—closes eyes, squints, blinks, winks
Orbicularis oris—closes mouth and protrudes the lips
Buccinator—flattens the cheek, chews
Zygomaticus—raises corners of the mouth
Chewing muscles
Masseter—closes the jaw and elevates mandible
Temporalis—synergist of the masseter, closes jaw
Head and Neck Muscles
Neck muscles
Platysma—pulls the corners of the mouth inferiorly
Sternocleidomastoid—flexes the neck, rotates the head
Muscles of Trunk, Shoulder, Arm
Anterior muscles
Pectoralis major—adducts and flexes the humerus
Intercostal muscles
External intercostals—raise rib cage during inhalation
Internal intercostals—depress the rib cage to move air out of the
lungs when you exhale forcibly
Anterior Muscles of Trunk, Shoulder, Arm
Muscles of Trunk, Shoulder, Arm
Muscles of the abdominal girdle
Rectus abdominis—flexes vertebral column and compresses
abdominal contents (defecation, childbirth, forced breathing)
External and internal obliques—flex vertebral column; rotate trunk
and bend it laterally
Transversus abdominis—compresses abdominal contents
Anterior Muscles of Trunk, Shoulder, Arm
Muscles of Trunk, Shoulder, Arm
Posterior muscles
Trapezius—elevates, depresses, adducts, and stabilizes the scapula
Latissimus dorsi—extends and adducts the humerus
Erector spinae—back extension
Quadratus lumborum—flexes the spine laterally
Deltoid—arm abduction
Muscles of Posterior Neck, Trunk, Arm
Muscles of the Upper Limb
Biceps brachii—supinates forearm, flexes elbow
Brachialis—elbow flexion
Brachioradialis—weak muscle
Triceps brachii—elbow extension (antagonist to biceps brachii)
Anterior Muscles of Trunk, Shoulder, Arm
Muscles of Posterior Neck, Trunk, Arm
Muscles of the Lower Limb
Gluteus maximus—hip extension
Gluteus medius—hip abduction, steadies pelvis when walking
Iliopsoas—hip flexion, keeps the upper body from falling backward
when standing erect
Adductor muscles—adduct the thighs
Muscles of the Pelvis, Hip, Thigh
Muscles of the Lower Limb
Muscles causing movement at the knee joint
Hamstring group—thigh extension and knee flexion
Biceps femoris
Semimembranosus
Semitendinosus
Muscles of the Pelvis, Hip, Thigh
Muscles of the Lower Limb
Muscles causing movement at the knee joint
Sartorius—flexes the thigh
Quadriceps group—extends the knee
Rectus femoris
Vastus muscles (three)
Muscles of the Pelvis, Hip, Thigh
Muscles of the Lower Limb
Muscles causing movement at ankle and foot
Tibialis anterior—dorsiflexion and foot inversion
Extensor digitorum longus—toe extension and dorsiflexion of the
foot
Fibularis muscles—plantar flexion, everts the foot
Soleus—plantar flexion
Muscles of the Lower Leg
Superficial Muscles: Anterior
Superficial Muscles: Posterior
Superficial Anterior Muscles of the Body
Superficial Posterior Muscles of the Body
Intramuscular Injection Sites
