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Bones, muscles, and joints make up the musculoskeletal system, which enables us to perform everyday physical activities. Bones provide support for our bodies, protect our organs, and give us our shape. Muscles help control our movements and some body systems, such as digestion. Skeletal muscles, which are attached to bones by tendons, are the most common muscles in our bodies and are used to move our bones. They also help with chewing and swallowing, expanding and contracting our chest cavities to breathe, and maintaining our body posture.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| What is made up of bones, muscles, and joints? | The musculoskeletal system |
| What do bones do? | Provide support for our bodies, help form our shape, protect organs, and store minerals like calcium |
| What do muscles do? | Help control our movements and some body systems, such as digestion |
| What are the three types of muscles? | Skeletal muscle, smooth muscle, and cardiac muscle |
| What do skeletal muscles do? | Help with chewing and swallowing, expanding and contracting the chest cavity, maintaining body posture, moving the bones, protecting joints, and holding them in place |
| What are skeletal muscles made of? | Flexible muscle fibers that range from less than half an inch to just over three inches in diameter |
| How do muscles move bones? | By contracting and then relaxing, and working in pairs of flexors and extensors |
| How are bones attached to muscles? | By tendons, which are made of fibrous connective tissue |
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What You'll Learn
Tendons attach muscles to bones
Bones, muscles, and joints make up the musculoskeletal system. Bones give our bodies shape, store minerals like calcium, and protect our organs. The many different joints in our bodies connect bones and allow us to move. Our muscles help control our movements and some body systems, such as digestion.
Skeletal muscles are the most common muscles in our bodies. We use them to move our bones, so they play a vital role in everyday activities. They are located between bones and consist of flexible muscle fibres that range from less than half an inch to just over three inches in diameter. Each muscle can contain thousands of fibres. These fibres contract (tighten), which allows the muscles to move bones so we can perform different movements.
Skeletal muscles are usually attached to the bone by tendons. When we want to move, our brain tells a muscle to contract, and it shortens, pulling one bone towards another across a joint. Skeletal muscles work in pairs — when one shortens, a corresponding muscle lengthens. For example, the biceps muscle, in the front of the upper arm, is a flexor, and the triceps, at the back of the upper arm, is an extensor. When you bend at your elbow, the biceps contract. Then the biceps relax and the triceps contract to straighten the elbow.
Tendons are cord-like connective tissues that attach muscles to bones. They come in many shapes and sizes. The shape of the enthesis, or attachment site, often matches that of the tendon. For example, the tendons of pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi are flattened sheets of connective tissue that attach to the upper part of the humerus in a linear fashion. In contrast, the more rounded tendons at the wrist attach to bones in the hand in a more circumscribed fashion.
Tendons are important for transmitting the contractile forces generated by the muscle belly to the skeleton. They also help to balance the differing elastic moduli of tendon and skeletal tissue so that local peaks in tension are avoided. The attachment of tendon to bone consists of transitional tissue with structural and compositional gradients that give rise to graded tissue mechanical properties. This unique tissue cannot be reconstructed following injury, leading to a high incidence of recurrent failure.
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Skeletal muscles are the most common muscles in the body
The human body is made up of bones, muscles, and joints, which together form the musculoskeletal system. The musculoskeletal system enables us to perform everyday physical activities.
There are three types of muscles in the body: skeletal, smooth, and cardiac. Skeletal muscles are the most common muscles in the body. They are attached to bones by tendons, which are cord-like connective tissues. Skeletal muscles are voluntary, meaning that we can consciously control their movement. They are called striated muscles because they are made up of fibres that have horizontal stripes when viewed under a microscope. These muscles help hold the skeleton together, give the body its shape, and help with everyday movements.
Skeletal muscles are located throughout the body, between bones. They consist of flexible muscle fibres that range from less than half an inch to just over three inches in diameter. Each muscle can contain thousands of fibres, which contract and relax to allow the muscles to move bones and perform different movements. For example, when you want to move, your brain tells a muscle to contract, and it shortens, pulling one bone towards another across a joint.
Skeletal muscles work in pairs, with one muscle contracting and the other relaxing to allow for a full range of motion. They also help generate heat in the body, protect organs, and help maintain posture. Skeletal muscle conditions, such as strains and age-related degeneration, are common. Therefore, it is important to keep your muscles strong and healthy through regular strength conditioning, a nutritious diet, maintaining a healthy body weight, and stretching and warming up before physical activity.
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Smooth muscles are involuntary muscles
The human body's musculoskeletal system is made up of bones, muscles, and joints. Bones provide support for our bodies and help form our shape. They are very light but strong enough to support our entire weight. Bones also protect the organs in our bodies. The skull, for instance, protects the brain and forms the shape of the face. The spinal cord, a pathway for messages between the brain and the body, is protected by the backbone or spinal column. The ribs form a cage that shelters the heart and lungs, and the pelvis helps protect the bladder, part of the intestines, and, in women, the reproductive organs.
There are three different types of muscles, each with different functions that help the body move and function well. Smooth muscles are involuntary muscles that are found inside blood vessels and organs like the intestines, stomach, bladder, and uterus. They are also found in the tracts of the respiratory, urinary, and reproductive systems. Smooth muscles are contractile and relax often without a person even realizing they are working. For example, smooth muscles contract to move food and stool through the digestive system and in arteries and veins to help regulate blood pressure.
The heart is made of a special type of muscle called cardiac muscle, which is also involuntary. It contracts to make the heart beat and is controlled by the heart's inbuilt pacemaker, the sinoatrial node.
Unlike smooth and cardiac muscles, skeletal muscles are voluntary muscles, meaning a person can consciously control their movement. Skeletal muscles are attached to bones by tendons and help with everyday movements. They also help generate heat in the body, protect organs, and maintain posture. When a person wants to move, their brain tells a muscle to contract, and it shortens, pulling one bone toward another across a joint. Skeletal muscles work in pairs, with one muscle lengthening as the other shortens.
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Bones give the body its shape
The skull, which is part of the skeleton, protects the brain and forms the shape of the face. The spinal cord, a pathway for messages between the brain and the body, is protected by the backbone or spinal column. The spine is made up of 33 bones called vertebrae, which are separated by discs that act as shock absorbers. The first seven vertebrae at the top are the cervical vertebrae, which support the head and neck. Below these are the 12 thoracic vertebrae, followed by five lumbar vertebrae. The ribs form a cage that shelters the heart and lungs, and the pelvis helps protect the bladder, part of the intestines, and the reproductive organs in women.
Bones are made up of a framework of collagen, a protein, and calcium phosphate, a mineral that makes the framework hard and strong. They store minerals like calcium and vitamin D and release them into the bloodstream when needed. Bone marrow, found inside many bones, produces red and white blood cells and platelets. Osteoclasts break down bone and help sculpt and shape it.
The bones, muscles, and joints form the musculoskeletal system, which enables physical activities. Muscles help control movement and are attached to bones by cord-like tendons. Skeletal muscles, which are under voluntary control, consist of flexible muscle fibers that contract and relax to move bones. They help with everyday movements and generate heat in the body. Smooth muscles, on the other hand, are involuntary and found in organs, blood vessels, and the digestive tract. They contract and relax without conscious control, helping with digestion and blood pressure regulation.
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Bones and muscles work together to allow movement
Bones provide support and shape to the body. They are lightweight yet strong enough to bear the body's entire weight. Additionally, they protect vital organs, such as the brain, which is encased in the skull, and the heart and lungs, which are sheltered by the rib cage. Bones also play a role in movement, with skeletal muscles—the most common type of muscle in the body—attached to them. These muscles help move the bones, allowing for various movements.
Skeletal muscles are voluntary muscles that we can consciously control. They assist in activities like chewing and swallowing, maintaining posture, and generating body heat. These muscles are attached to bones by tendons, which are cord-like connective tissues. When we want to move, our brain sends a signal to a specific muscle, causing it to contract and pull one bone toward another across a joint. This contraction and relaxation of muscles enable movements like lifting an arm or bending an elbow.
Smooth muscles, on the other hand, are involuntary. They are found in organs, blood vessels, the digestive tract, skin, and other areas. These muscles contract and relax without our conscious control, regulating functions like digestion, blood pressure, and urinary waste removal.
The locomotor system, also known as the musculoskeletal system, includes the skeleton, skeletal muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, and cartilage. These components work together to facilitate movement. The brain controls body movements by sending signals through the spinal cord to the muscles, which then contract or relax to produce the desired action.
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Frequently asked questions
Bones, muscles and joints make up the musculoskeletal system, which enables us to do everyday physical activities. Bones give our bodies shape, protect our organs and store minerals like calcium. Muscles help control our movements and some body systems, such as digestion.
Bones and muscles are connected by tendons, which are fibrous connective tissues. Tendons may also attach muscles to structures such as the eyeball. When you want to move, your brain tells a muscle to contract, it shortens, pulling one bone towards another across a joint.
Skeletal muscles are the most common muscles in your body and they help you move your bones. They are found throughout the body, including in the tongue, diaphragm, eye socket and upper oesophagus. They are also present in the legs, arms and face. Skeletal muscles are attached to bones by cord-like tendons.
