The Functions of the Muscular System

The muscular system contains more than 600 muscles that work together to enable the full
functioning of the body.
There are 3 types of muscles in the body:
Skeletal muscle
Skeletal muscles are the only muscles that can be consciously controlled. They are attached to
bones, and contracting the muscles causes movement of those bones.
Any action that a person consciously undertakes involves the use of skeletal muscles. Examples
of such activities include running, chewing, and writing.
Smooth muscle
Smooth muscle lines the inside of blood vessels and organs, such as the stomach, and is also
known as visceral muscle.
It is the weakest type of muscle but has an essential role in moving food along the digestive
tract and maintaining blood circulation through the blood vessels.
Smooth muscle acts involuntarily and cannot be consciously controlled.
Cardiac muscle
Located only in the heart, cardiac muscle pumps blood around the body. Cardiac muscle
stimulates its own contractions that form our heartbeat. Signals from the nervous system
control the rate of contraction. This type of muscle is strong and acts involuntarily.

Muscular system functions include mobility, stability, posture, circulation, and more. Muscles
allow a person to move, speak, and chew. They control heartbeat, breathing, and digestion.
Other seemingly unrelated functions, including temperature regulation and vision, also rely on
the muscular system.
The facial muscles are striated muscles that link the skin of the face to the bone of the skull to
perform important functions for daily life, including mastication and expression of emotion.
The shoulder muscles have a wide range of functions, including abduction, adduction, flexion,
extension, internal and external rotation. [1] The central bony structure of the shoulder is the
scapula, where all of the muscles interact.
neck muscles A large group of muscles in the cervical area, responsible for the movement of the
head in all directions
Your arm muscles help you with small, precise (fine motor) movements, such as wiggling your
fingers or fastening a button. They also allow you to do big movements, like straightening your
elbow, raising your arms above your head or doing push-ups.
The muscles of the anterior thorax provide movements to the arm and shoulder while the
muscles of the posterior thorax also help change thoracic volume during breathing and
reinforce the thoracic wall. The diaphragm is another muscle in the thorax that serves as the
main muscle of inspiration.
The muscles of the forearm or antebrachium work together to move the elbow, forearm, wrist,
and digits of the hand. They fall into two categories: intrinsic and extrinsic muscles. The intrinsic
muscles function to move the forearm by pronating and supinating the radius and ulna.
The abdominal muscles to some degree, from biking, running and walking, to swimming,
swinging a golf club and playing chess. Even when the body is at rest, the abdominals (in
concert with other core muscles) help keep it stable and balanced. It also holds the organs in
place.
The thighs contain several muscles. The quadriceps and hamstrings help us bend and extend
the hips and knees. The adductors move the legs inward toward each other. The pectineus and
sartorius let you flex and rotate the thighs at the hip joints.
Your leg muscles help you move, carry the weight of your body and support you when you
stand. You have several muscles in your upper and lower legs. They work together to enable
you to walk, run, jump and flex and point your feet.

skeletal system
The skeletal system is the body system composed of bones and cartilage and performs the
following critical functions for the human body: supports the body. facilitates movement.
protects internal organs. produces blood cells. stores and releases minerals and fat.
The main function of the bones of the skull along with the surrounded meninges, is to provide
protection and structure. Protection to the brain (cerebellum, cerebrum, brainstem) and orbits
of the eyes.
The mandible, located inferiorly in the facial skeleton, is the largest and strongest bone of the
face. It forms the lower jaw and acts as a receptacle for the lower teeth. It also articulates on
either side with the temporal bone, forming the temporomandibular joint.
Your cervical spine consists of the first seven vertebrae in your spine. It provides support for
the weight of your head, surrounds and protects your spinal cord, and allows for a wide range
of head motions.
 The Clavicle plays an essential role in functional movement, serving as the connection between
the axial skeleton and the pectoral girdle. This allows the clavicle to act as a brace for the
shoulder, allowing weight to be transferred from the upper limbs to the axial skeleton.
The scapula is an important bone in the function of the shoulder joint. It engages in 6 types of
motion, which allow for full-functional upper extremity movement including protraction,
retraction, elevation, depression, upward rotation, and downward rotation.
The sternum, or breastbone, is a long, flat, bony plate that forms the most anterior section of
the rib cage. The primary function of the sternum is the protection of the heart, lungs, and
blood vessels from physical damage.
Together, your thoracic spine and ribcage protect your heart and lungs. The joints in your
thoracic spine are tight enough to protect these vital organs but loose enough to allow for the
movements of breathing — inhaling and exhaling. The ribs are the bony framework of the
thoracic cavity.
The ribs form the main structure of the thoracic cage protecting the thoracic organs, however
their main function is to aid respiration.
Your humerus has several important jobs, including: Helping your arm move, flex and rotate.
Holding 13 muscles in place. Stabilizing the rest of your arm, including your elbow and hand.
Your lumbar vertebrae provide stability for your back and spinal column and allow for a point of
attachment for many muscles and ligaments. Your lumbar vertebrae support most of your
body's weight.
The pelvis has several important functions. Its primary role is to support the weight of the
upper body when sitting and to transfer this weight to the lower limbs when standing. It serves
as an attachment point for trunk and lower limb muscles, and also protects the internal pelvic
organs.
The radius permits the forearm and hand to pronate and supinate, flex and extend at the
elbow, and adduct, abduct, extend, flex, and circumduct the wrist. Pronation and supination
occur through complex articulation with the cylindrical shaped radial head, which is stabilized
to the ulnar notch by the annular ligament.
Your ulna has several important jobs, including: Helping your forearm and wrist move, flex and
rotate. Holding more than a dozen muscles in place. Stabilizing the rest of your arm, wrist and
hand.
Despite its small size, the coccyx has several important functions. Along with being the insertion
site for multiple muscles, ligaments, and tendons, it also serves as one leg of the tripod—along
with the ischial tuberosities—that provides weight-bearing support to a person in the seated
position.
The sacrum forms the posterior pelvic wall and strengthens and stabilizes the pelvis.
carpals. These bones make up most of the skeletal framework of the wrist and allow different
neurovascular structures and tendons that enter the wrist to reach certain muscle groups and
bony structures, respectively and provide the innervation and blood supply necessary for them
to function.
metacarpals are flat at the back of the hand and bowed on the palmar side; they form a
longitudinal arch that accommodates the muscles, tendons, and nerves of the palm. The
metacarpals also form a transverse arch that allows the fingertips and thumb to be brought
together for manipulation.
The coccyx functions as a site of attachment for muscles and ligaments of the pelvic floor, to
support the position of the anus, and to provide weight-bearing support to a person in a seated
position. Injury or damage to the tailbone area may result in coccydynia.
Your femur has several important jobs, including: Holding the weight of your body when you
stand and move. Stabilizing you as you move. Connecting muscles, tendons and ligaments in
your hips and knees to the rest of your body.
The patella functions to protect the knee joint, to lengthen the lever arm of the quadriceps
femoris, and to increase the area of contact between the patellar ligament and the femur.

The tibia is a medial and large long bone of the lower extremity, connecting the knee and ankle
joints. It is considered to be the second largest bone in the body and it plays an important role
in weight bearing.
Unlike the tibia, the fibula is not a weight-bearing bone. Its main function is to combine with
the tibia and provide stability to the ankle joint.
The calcaneus is the largest bone in the foot. It projects posterior to the tibia and fibula and
acts as a short lever for the calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus) which insert onto its
posterior surface via the Achilles tendon. It also plays an important role in weight bearing and
stability.
In humans the tarsals, in combination with the metatarsal bones, form a longitudinal arch in the
foot—a shape well adapted for carrying and transferring weight in bipedal locomotion.
In the human ankle there are seven tarsal bones. In addition to being an insertion site for many
of the muscles of the lower limb and foot, the metatarsals are an important component of the
arches of the foot. The arches of the foot function in force absorption, support, and as a rigid
lever during gait propulsion.