Muscular SystemThis is a featured page


Muscle

  • Consists predominantly of contractile cells and produces the movements of various parts of the body by contraction.
  • Occurs in three types: skeletal, cardiac and smooth

Skeletal Muscle

  • Is voluntary and striated; makes up about 40% of the total body mass; and functions to produce movement of the body, generate body heat, and maintain body posture.
  • Has two attachments, an origin (which is usually the more fixed and proximal attachment), and an insertion (which is the more movable and distal attachment).
  • Is enclosed by epimysium , a thin layer of connective tissue. Smaller bundles of muscle fibers are surrounded by perimysium. Each muscle fiber is enclosed by endomysium.

Cardiac Muscle
  • Is involuntary and striated and forms the myocardium , the middle layer of the heart.
  • Is innervated by the autonomic nervous system but contracts spontaneously without
    any nerve supply.
  • Includes specialized myocardial fibers that form the cardiac conducting system.

Smooth Muscle
  • Is involuntary and nonstriated, and generally arranged in two layers, circular and longitudinal , in the walls of many visceral organs.
  • Is innervated by the autonomic nervous system, regulating the size of the lumen of
    a tubular structure.
  • Undergoes rhythmic contractions called peristaltic waves in the walls of the
    gastrointestinal (GI) tract, uterine tubes, ureters, and other organs.


◄.....Go back to the gross Anatomy homepage



AndyC
AndyC 		Latest page update: made by AndyC , Jun 28 2010, 9:09 AM EDT (about this update About This Update AndyC Edited by AndyC


view changes
- complete history)
Keyword tags: gross anatomy muscular system
More Info: links to this page

Threads for this page

There are no threads for this page.  Be the first to start a new thread.

Related Content

  (what's this?Related ContentThanks to keyword tags, links to related pages and threads are added to the bottom of your pages. Up to 15 links are shown, determined by matching tags and by how recently the content was updated; keeping the most current at the top. Share your feedback on Wetpaint Central.)
Upper Limb - Wrist/Hand Gastrointestinal (GI) Viscera Other peritoneal ligaments
Peritoneal Cavity Mesenteries Peritoneum and Peritoneal Cavity
Blood Vessels of the Anterior Abdominal Wall Lymphatic Drainage of the Anterior Abdominal Wall Nerves of the Anterior Abdominal Wall
Inner Surface of the Anterior Abdominal Wall