MUSCULAR SYSTEM

Muscle Tissue
• One of basic tissues of our body
• Specialized for contraction
• Produces all body movement
• Contractile tissue which brings about movements
• Three types of muscle tissue
– Skeletal muscle
– Cardiac muscle
– Smooth muscle
 Cardiac Muscle
• Found only in Heart
• Cardiac muscle cells
– Are called cardiocytes
– Single nucleus
– Striations present
– Form branching networks connected at
intercalated discs
• Controlled by ANS
 Smooth Muscle
• Found in walls of hollow, contracting organs (blood
vessels, urinary, respiratory, digestive, and reproductive
tracts)
• Smooth muscle cells
– Are spindle shaped
– Single nucleus
– No striations
– Can divide and regenerate
– Controlled by ANS
 Skeletal Muscle
• Skeletal Muscle Cells
– Long and thin, called

muscle fibers

– Multinucleate

– Cross striations present

– Voluntary – Under our

conscious control
 Functions of Skeletal Muscles
• Produces skeletal movement
• Maintain body position
• Support of soft tissues
• Guard openings
• Maintain body temperature
• Store nutrient reserves
 Parts of Skeletal Muscle
• Two ends:
– Origin: fixed during contraction
– Insertion: end which moves
during contraction

– Most muscles originate from or

insert to bones

– Origin is usually proximal to

insertion
 Parts of Skeletal Muscle
• Parts:
– Fleshy part
• Contractile, called Belly
– Fibrous part
• Noncontractile, inelastic
• Cord like – Tendon
• Flattened – Aponeurosis

– Muscle or its tendon crosses a

joint between its origin &
insertion
 Contractile Tissue

• Muscle Fibers
• sarcolemma (cell membrane)
• Sarcoplasm (cytoplasm)
• Myofibrils
– Dark Bands (A bands) – H band & M band
– Light Bands ( I bands) – Z discs
– Segment between two Z discs – Sarcomere
– Sarcomere – Contractile unit of muscle
 Skeletal Muscle Fibers

Figure 10–4b Sarcomere Structure.

 Skeletal Muscle Fibers
– Myofibrils
– Made up of bundles of
protein - myofilaments
– Myofilaments are
responsible for muscle
contraction
– Types of myofilaments:
• thin filaments:
– made of protein-actin
• thick filaments:
– made of protein-myosin
Muscle Contraction
 Supporting Tissue
– Muscles have three layers of connective tissues
• Epimysium:
– Surrounds entire muscle
– connected to deep fascia
– Separates muscle from surrounding tissues
• Perimysium:
– surrounds muscle fiber bundles (fascicles)
– contains blood vessel and nerve supply to fascicles
• Endomysium:
– surrounds individual muscle cells (muscle fibers)
– contains capillaries and nerve fibers contacting muscle cells
– contains myosatellite cells (stem cells) that repair damage

• Come together at end of muscles and form tendon or aponeurosis

and get attached to bones
Supporting Tissue
 Innervation
• Requires stimulation from
nerve to contract
• Mixed nerve – Motor & Sensory
• Motor point – Site where nerve
enters muscle
• Motor unit – No. of muscle
fibres supplied by a single alpha
neuron
• Composite / Hybrid muscle –
Supplied by 2 different nerves
Ex. Pectoralis major, Adductor
magnus
 Innervation
• Size of motor unit determines fine control of
movements
– Small motor unit – Precise control. Ex. Eye muscles
– Large motor unit – Gross control. Ex. Leg muscles
 Neuromuscular Junction
• Is location of neural stimulation
• Electrical signal travels along
nerve axon
– Ends at Synaptic terminal
– Neurotransmitter is released into
Synaptic cleft
– Motor end plate (depression in
muscle fibre)
 Classification of Skeletal Muscle
• Colour • Direction of fibres
– Red – Parallel
– White – Oblique
– Mixed – Twisted
– Cruciate

• Function
– Agonist
– Antagonist
– Fixators
– Synergists
 Muscle Fiber-Types
– Fast fibers – Slow fibers
• Contract very quickly • Are slow to contract
• Fatigue quickly • Slow to fatigue
• Have large diameter, large • Have small diameter, more
glycogen reserves, few mitochondria
mitochondria • Contain abundant myoglobin
• Less myoglobin (red pigment, binds oxygen)
• Ex. Gastrocnemius • Have high oxygen supply
• Ex. Postural muscles
 Muscle Fiber Types
– Intermediate fibers
• Are mid-sized
• Have low myoglobin
• Have more capillaries
than fast fibers, slower
to fatigue

– Most human muscles

are mixed fibres
 Fascicle Arrangement
• Arrangement of muscle fascicles vary with
movements possible at a particular joint.
– Force of movement is directly proportional to
number & size of muscle fibres

– Range of movement is directly proportional to

length of muscle fibres
 Fascicle Arrangement
Parallel fasciculi
– Fibers parallel to long axis
of muscle
•Quadrilateral – Thyrohyoid
•Strap like – Sternothyroid
•Strap like with tendinous
intersections – Rectus
abdominus
•Fusiform - Biceps
Parallel Fasciculi
 Oblique Fasciculi
– Form an angle with tendon
– Do not move as far as parallel muscles
– Contain more myofibrils than parallel muscles
– Develop more tension than parallel muscles

– Unipennate
• Fibers on one side of tendon
Ex. Extensor digitorum
– Bipennate
• Fibers on both sides of tendon
Ex. Rectus femoris
– Multipennate
• Tendon branches within muscle
Ex. Deltoid
 Oblique Fasciculi
• Circumpennate – Tibialis anterior

• Triangular - Temporalis
 Spiral / Twisted Fasciculi
• Spiral / Twisted fibres
• Ex. Trapezius, Pectoralis
major

• Cruciate muscles – fasciculi

are crossed
• Ex. Sternocleidomastoid,
Masseter
 Circular Fasciculi
– Also called sphincters

– Open and close to guard

entrances of body

– For example, orbicularis oris

muscle of mouth
 Functional Classification
• Agonist (or prime mover)
– Produces a particular movement
• Antagonist
– Opposes movement of a particular agonist
• Fixator
– Stabilizes the proximal joint, so movement
can occur at distal joint with a fixed base
• Synergist
– A smaller muscle that assists a larger
agonist
– Helps start motion or stabilize origin of
agonist (fixator)
 Naming Skeletal Muscles
• Location in Body
– Identifies body regions
• For example, temporalis muscle
• Origin and Insertion
– First part of name indicates origin
– Second part of name indicates insertion
• For example, sternohyoid muscle
• Fascicle Organization
– Describes fascicle orientation within muscle
• i.e., rectus (straight), transversus, oblique
 Naming Skeletal Muscles
• Relative Position • Action
– Externus (superficialis)
• Visible at body surface – Movements
– Internus (profundus) • example, flexor,
• Deep muscles extensor, retractor
• Structural Characteristics – Occupations or habits
– Number of tendons • example, risor =
• bi = 2, tri = 3
laughter
– Shape
• Trapezius, deltoid, rhomboid
– Size
• Many terms refer to muscle size
 Naming Skeletal Muscles
• Descriptive Terms for Muscle Size
• Longus = long
• Longissimus = longest
• Teres = long and round
• Brevis = short
• Magnus = large
• Major = larger
• Maximus = largest
• Minor = small
• Minimus = smallest
 Applied Anatomy
• Muscle spasm
• Muscle Hypertrophy
• Muscle Atrophy
• Paralysis – loss of
motor power
• Muscular dystrophy
• Regeneration
 Muscle Trivia
• Longest muscle – Sartorius
• Smallest muscle – Stapedius
• Biggest muscle – Gluteus maximus
• Strongest muscle ?
• There is no one answer
• Different ways to measure strength like absolute strength
(maximum force), dynamic strength (repeated motions),
elastic strength (exert force quickly), and strength
endurance (withstand fatigue).
• External muscles of eye
• Gluteus maximus
• Heart
• Masseter
• Muscles of uterus
• Soleus
• Muscles of tongue
Thank U