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There are several types of muscles in the human body, including parallel, circular, convergent, and pennate muscles. Parallel muscles are the most common type of muscle in the body and are characterized by fascicles that run parallel to one another. They can be further divided into three types: strap, fusiform, and fan-shaped. Parallel muscles are typically long and thin and are found in a variety of shapes, including flat bands and spindle shapes. They can also have large protrusions in the middle known as the belly of the muscle. An example of a parallel muscle is the biceps brachii, which is responsible for flexing the forearm.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Muscle architecture | Parallel, pennate, and hydrostats |
| Muscle fiber arrangement | Parallel to the force-generating axis |
| Types | Strap, fusiform, fan-shaped |
| Shapes | Flat bands, spindle-shaped, rectangular |
| Strength | Less force than pennate muscles |
| Function | Fast or extensive movements |
| Examples | Biceps brachii, sartorius, laryngeal muscles |
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What You'll Learn
Parallel muscle architecture
Muscle architecture refers to the structural design of a skeletal muscle in terms of the arrangement of muscle fibres, muscle units, and connective tissue elements. The arrangement of muscle fibres determines a muscle's mechanical function.
Strap muscles are shaped like a strap or belt and have fibres that run longitudinally to the contraction direction. These muscles have broad attachments compared to other muscle types and can shorten to about 40-60% of their resting length. Fusiform muscles are wider and cylindrically shaped in the centre and taper off at the ends. This overall shape is often referred to as a spindle. Non-fusiform muscles are more rectangular with a constant diameter.
Parallel muscles generate less force than pennate muscles, which have fibres that insert at an angle. However, because pennate fibres insert at an angle, the anatomical cross-sectional area (ACSA) cannot be used as in parallel-fibred muscles. Instead, the physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA) must be used for pennate muscles.
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Parallel vs pennate muscles
Parallel muscles are the most common type of muscle, with fascicles arranged parallel to one another. They are characterised by a common point of attachment, with fascicles running parallel to each other. Parallel muscles can be further divided into three main categories: strap, fusiform, or fan-shaped. Fusiform muscles are more spindle-shaped, with a greater diameter in the centre than at either end, while non-fusiform muscles are more rectangular with a constant diameter. The biceps brachii, responsible for flexing the forearm, is an example of a fusiform parallel muscle.
Pennate muscles, on the other hand, are feather-shaped with fascicles that attach obliquely to a central tendon. In these muscles, the tendon runs through the length of the muscle, and the fascicles pull on the tendon at an angle. This means that they do not move as far as parallel muscles during contraction. However, they tend to have more muscle fibres than similarly-sized parallel muscles and thus carry more tension. Pennate muscles can be further divided into unipennate, bipennate, and multipennate. Unipennate muscles have fascicles located on one side of the tendon, while bipennate muscles, such as the rectus femoris in the thigh, have fascicles on both sides of the tendon. Multipennate muscles, such as the deltoid muscle in the shoulder, have fibres oriented at multiple angles along the force-generating axis.
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Types of parallel muscles
Parallel muscles are the most common type of muscle, with fascicles arranged parallel to one another. They are characterised by a common point of attachment, with fascicles running parallel to each other.
There are several types of parallel muscles, including strap, fusiform, and fan-shaped. Strap muscles are shaped like a strap or belt and have fibres that run longitudinally to the contraction direction. An example of a strap muscle is the laryngeal muscle, which is thought to control the fundamental frequency used in speech production and singing. The sartorius is another example of a strap muscle and is the longest muscle in the human body. Fusiform muscles are wider and cylindrically shaped in the centre, tapering off at the ends. This shape is often referred to as a spindle. An example of a fusiform muscle is the biceps brachii, which is responsible for flexing the forearm. Fan-shaped muscles, also known as triangular or convergent muscles, have fibres that converge at one end and spread over a broad area at the other end. An example of a convergent muscle is the pectoralis major, which is responsible for flexing the upper arm.
Parallel muscles can also be categorised as fusiform and non-fusiform based on their shape. Fusiform muscles are spindle-shaped, with a larger diameter in the centre than at the ends. Non-fusiform muscles, on the other hand, have a constant diameter and a more rectangular shape.
In addition to these categories, parallel muscles can also be classified as skeletal or smooth muscles. Skeletal muscles, also known as voluntary muscles, are under conscious control and can be further classified into various shapes, including flat bands and spindle shapes. Smooth muscles, on the other hand, are found in the walls of organs and are responsible for involuntary movements, such as the contraction of the stomach during digestion.
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Function of parallel muscles
Parallel muscles are the most common type of muscle in the body. They are characterised by fascicles (bundles of muscle fibres) that run parallel to one another, and by a common point of attachment. The contraction of these muscle groups acts as an extension of the contraction of a single muscle fibre.
Parallel muscles can be further divided into three main categories: strap, fusiform, or fan-shaped. Strap muscles are shaped like a strap or belt and have fibres that run longitudinally to the contraction direction. They have broad attachments compared to other muscle types and can shorten to about 40–60% of their resting length. An example of a strap muscle is the laryngeal muscle, which is thought to control the fundamental frequency used in speech production and singing. Another example is the sartorius, the longest muscle in the human body. Fusiform muscles are wider and cylindrically shaped in the centre, tapering off at the ends. This shape is often referred to as a spindle. An example of a fusiform muscle is the biceps brachii, which is responsible for flexing the forearm. Fan-shaped muscles are also known as convergent muscles, which have a common point of attachment but do not have fascicles that run parallel to each other. Instead, the fibres spread out over a broad area at one end. An example of a convergent muscle is the pectoralis major in humans, which has a weaker pull on the attachment site compared to other parallel fibres.
The force produced by a given muscle is proportional to the cross-sectional area, or the number of parallel sarcomeres present. The force produced by pennate muscles (where fibres are at an angle to the force-generating axis) is greater than the force produced by parallel muscles. However, parallel muscles can be used for fast or extensive movements. These movements can be measured by the anatomical cross-sectional area (ACSA).
Parallel muscles are involved in the production and modulation of movement, along with agonist, antagonist, and synergist muscles. Agonist muscles shorten with contraction to produce a movement, while antagonist muscles return the limb to its previous position. Synergist muscles act around a movable joint to produce motion similar to or in concert with agonist muscles, allowing for a range of possible movements.
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Examples of parallel muscles
Parallel muscles are the most common type of muscle in the human body. They are characterized by fascicles that run parallel to one another, and their contraction acts as an extension of the contraction of a single muscle fiber. Parallel muscles can be further categorized into three types: strap, fusiform, and fan-shaped.
Strap muscles are shaped like a strap or belt and have fibers that run longitudinally to the contraction direction. An example of a strap muscle is the laryngeal muscle, which is thought to control the fundamental frequency used in speech production and singing. The longest muscle in the human body, the sartorius, is also a strap muscle.
Fusiform muscles are wider and cylindrically shaped in the center, tapering off at the ends. This shape is often referred to as a spindle. Examples of fusiform muscles include the biceps brachii, which is responsible for flexing the forearm, and the psoas major.
Fan-shaped muscles, also known as convergent or triangular muscles, converge at one end (usually a tendon) and spread over a broad area at the other end. The pectoralis major is an example of a convergent muscle. These muscles are versatile due to their ability to change the direction of pull depending on the contraction of the fibers.
Other examples of parallel muscles include the rectus femoris, found in the thigh and responsible for its flexion, and the orbicularis oris, which controls the opening of the mouth.
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Frequently asked questions
Parallel muscles are the most common type of muscle in the body, with fascicles or bundles of muscle fibres that run parallel to each other and to the long axis of the muscle.
The biceps brachii, which flexes the forearm, is an example of a fusiform parallel muscle. The sartorius muscle, which runs down the thigh to the knee, is another example of a parallel muscle.
Parallel muscles can be divided into three main categories: strap, fusiform, and fan-shaped. They can also be further categorised into fusiform and non-fusiform types based on their shape.
Parallel muscles differ from pennate muscles, in which the tendon runs through the length of the muscle and the fascicles attach at an angle. Parallel muscles also differ from circular muscles, which form a circular shape around bodily openings, and from convergent muscles, which have a common point of attachment but do not have fascicles that run parallel to each other.
The rectus femoris found in the thigh is an example of a bipennate muscle.
