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The human body has over 600 muscles, which are soft tissues that help us move, breathe, swallow, and stay alive. There are three types of muscles: skeletal, smooth, and cardiac. Skeletal muscles, which are under voluntary control, make up 30-40% of our body mass and are attached to bones, allowing us to perform various movements. Smooth muscles, on the other hand, are involuntary and are found in the walls of blood vessels and organs like the bladder, intestines, and stomach. Lastly, cardiac muscles form the middle layers of our heart, and they don't exist anywhere else in the body.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of muscles in the body | More than 600 |
| Muscle definition | Pieces of soft tissue that help the body move, breathe, swallow, and stay alive |
| Types of muscles | Skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle |
| Skeletal muscle composition | Bundles of muscle fibers called myofibers which contain several myofibrils |
| Skeletal muscle location | Throughout the body, attached to bones by tendons |
| Skeletal muscle control | Voluntary |
| Skeletal muscle percentage of body mass | 30% to 40% |
| Cardiac muscle location | Middle layers of the heart |
| Cardiac muscle control | Involuntary |
| Smooth muscle location | Walls of blood vessels, urinary bladder, intestines, and stomach |
| Smooth muscle control | Involuntary |
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What You'll Learn
- Skeletal muscle: Striated muscle comprising 30-40% of body mass, allowing movement
- Cardiac muscle: Responsible for heart contractions and found nowhere else in the body
- Smooth muscle: Under involuntary control, found in blood vessels and organs like the bladder
- Muscle contractions: Isometric contractions increase tension without body movement, while isotonic contractions produce movement
- Muscle disorders: Disorders include muscular dystrophies, congenital myopathies, and inflammatory disorders
Skeletal muscle: Striated muscle comprising 30-40% of body mass, allowing movement
Skeletal muscle, also known as striated muscle, is the most common type of muscle in the body, comprising 30-40% of total body mass. There are over 600 skeletal muscles in the human body. These muscles are attached to bones by tendons, allowing for a wide range of movements and functions. They are under voluntary control, meaning an individual can control how and when they work.
Skeletal muscle is composed of multinucleated contractile muscle fibres (myocytes) which are usually 2-3cm long and 100 micrometres in diameter. These fibres are surrounded by a type of connective tissue layer of fascia. Each muscle can contain thousands of fibres, and they contract (tighten) to allow movement. The fibres are red and white and have a striped appearance due to the arrangement of the sarcomeres. The sarcomeres are functional units composed of actin and myosin, which are thin and thick filaments respectively.
Skeletal muscles play a vital role in everyday activities such as breathing, eating, and moving bones. They are also responsible for maintaining body posture, controlling body temperature, and stabilizing joints. It is important to keep skeletal muscles strong and healthy, as they are susceptible to a range of conditions, from mild injuries to serious myopathies.
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Cardiac muscle: Responsible for heart contractions and found nowhere else in the body
The human body is made up of three types of muscle tissue: skeletal, smooth, and cardiac. Cardiac muscle, also known as myocardium or heart muscle, is responsible for heart contractions and is found nowhere else in the body.
Cardiac muscle forms the middle layer of the three-layered heart wall, between the outer layer (the pericardium or epicardium) and the inner layer (the endocardium). The heart contains specialised types of cardiac tissue, including pacemaker cells, which contract and expand in response to electrical impulses from the nervous system. These impulses tell the cardiac muscle cells to contract and relax, and the coordinated contractions of these cells allow the heart to pump blood into circulation.
Cardiac muscle is striated, or striped, due to the alternating filaments of myosin and actin proteins that comprise it. When a cardiac muscle cell contracts, the myosin filament pulls the actin filaments towards each other, causing the cell to shrink. The cell uses ATP to power this contraction. The cardiac action potential, lasting approximately 200 ms, is divided into five phases: resting, upstroke, early repolarization, plateau, and final repolarization.
Cardiac muscle is under involuntary control, meaning a person cannot control it. This is in contrast to skeletal muscle, which is voluntary. Skeletal muscle is the most common type of muscle in the body, making up between 30% and 40% of total body mass. It is attached to bones via tendons and allows for a wide range of movements and functions.
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Smooth muscle: Under involuntary control, found in blood vessels and organs like the bladder
Smooth muscle is an integral part of the human body and is found in almost every organ system. It is under involuntary control and serves a variety of functions. Smooth muscle is derived from both mesoderm and neural crest cells, with the latter playing an important role in the development of smooth muscle throughout the body, specifically in the regulation of blood vessels.
Smooth muscle is found in the cardiovascular system, where it is used in vessels to maintain blood pressure and flow. It is also present in the lungs, where it opens and closes airways, and in the gastrointestinal system, where it aids in motility and nutrient collection. Smooth muscle is heavily relied upon for the regulation of blood flow, endothelial network growth, and vessel stability. It wraps around larger vessels, altering their volume and local blood pressure to redistribute blood within the body to areas with enhanced oxygen consumption.
Smooth muscle is also found in the urinary system, where it helps to rid the body of toxins and maintain electrolyte balance. It is present in the bladder and urethra, where it helps to alter the shape of these organs and withstand the force of an internal load.
Smooth muscle is distinct from skeletal muscle, which is the most common type of muscle in the body and is under voluntary control. Skeletal muscles are those that connect to bones and allow for a wide range of movements and functions. Smooth muscle, on the other hand, is found in the walls of blood vessels and organs, contracting and relaxing to regulate blood flow and pressure.
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Muscle contractions: Isometric contractions increase tension without body movement, while isotonic contractions produce movement
The human body has more than 600 muscles, comprising 30% to 40% of total body mass. These muscles help us move, breathe, swallow, and perform a wide range of functions that enable us to stay alive.
Muscles are composed of soft tissue and are connected to bones through tendons, allowing for various movements and functions. The place on the stationary bone connected to the muscle is called the origin, while the moving bone connection is called the insertion. The belly of the muscle is the fleshy part that contracts.
When muscles contract, they can either be isometric or isotonic. Isometric contractions are light contractions that increase muscle tension without causing any movement of the body part. This type of contraction is useful when there is joint damage, during early strengthening, or to promote circulation. They are also observed in everyday activities like holding an object still or maintaining posture.
On the other hand, isotonic contractions produce movement and are associated with a change in muscle length. They can be further categorized into two types: concentric and eccentric. Concentric contractions occur when the muscle shortens, resulting in joint motion, such as when lifting weights. Eccentric contractions happen when the muscle lengthens to control movement against resistance, including gravity. Both types of isotonic contractions are essential for physical activities and can be trained through isotonic exercises like walking, running, swimming, and cycling.
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Muscle disorders: Disorders include muscular dystrophies, congenital myopathies, and inflammatory disorders
Muscles are pieces of soft tissue that help the body move, breathe, swallow, and perform other vital functions. There are over 600 muscles in the human body, and they make up 30-40% of our total body mass. Skeletal muscles are the most common type of muscle, and they are attached to bones by tendons. However, muscle disorders such as muscular dystrophies, congenital myopathies, and inflammatory disorders can significantly impact the functioning of these muscles.
Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a group of more than 30 genetic disorders that cause progressive weakness and degeneration of skeletal muscles. MD can affect various muscles and body parts, including the heart, lungs, and brain, and symptoms can range from mild to severe. Some common types of MD include Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most prevalent form that typically affects young boys; Becker muscular dystrophy, a less severe form that usually appears around age 11; and myotonic dystrophy, which is characterized by difficulty relaxing muscles after contractions and typically affects the facial and neck muscles first.
Congenital MD refers to muscular dystrophies present at birth or identified before the age of two. It causes overall muscle weakness and may include joint stiffness or looseness, spinal curvature, breathing issues, intellectual disabilities, and seizures. Distal MD primarily affects the muscles farthest from the shoulders and hips, such as the forearms, hands, lower legs, and feet. While typically less severe than other forms of MD, distal MD can spread to other muscles and affect respiratory and heart functions.
Inflammatory myopathy is another muscle disorder that can produce symptoms similar to those found in some forms of MD. It is caused by different genetic defects and results in progressive muscle weakness. While MD and inflammatory myopathy share some similarities, their underlying causes and treatments can differ.
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Frequently asked questions
Muscles are pieces of soft tissue that help the body to move, breathe, swallow and stay alive.
The body has over 600 muscles.
There are three types of muscles: skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle.
Skeletal muscles are the most common type of muscle in the body, comprising 30% to 40% of total body mass. They are attached to bones by tendons and are under voluntary control. Examples include shoulder, hamstring and abdominal muscles.
