MUSCLE TISSUE AND MUSCULAR SYSTEM

MUSCULAR SYSTEM – consists of all the muscles of the body.

o All skeletal muscles are composed of one I. SKELETAL MUSCLES
specific type of muscle tissue.  All skeletal muscles are commonly referred to as
“muscles”
TYPES OF MUSCLE (MUSCLE TISSUE)  Have a FLESHY, REDDISH and CONTRACTILE portions
 Muscle cells (often called muscle fibers) – long and (one or more heads or bellies)
narrow when relaxed, are specialized contractile  Some muscles are fleshy throughout but some have
cells. white NONCONTRACTILE PORTIONS (tendons)
 Associated connective tissue conveys nerve fibers  Composed mainly of organized collagen bundles,
and capillaries to the muscle cells as it binds them that provide a means of attachment
into bundles or fascicles.

3 Types of muscle are described based on distinct

characteristics relating to:
 Voluntary or involuntary
 Striated vs. smooth or unstriated
 Somatic vs. visceral

NOTE: When referring to the length of a muscle, both

the belly and the tendons are included.
A MUSCLE’S LENGTH is the distance between its
attachments.
 The tendons of some muscles form flat sheets
or aponeuroses
o anchor the muscle to the skeleton (usually a
ridge or a series of spinous processes)
o anchor to deep fascia (such as latissimus
dorsi muscle of the back)
o to the aponeurosis of another muscle (such
as oblique muscles of the anterolateral
abdominal wall)

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o Flat muscles - have parallel fibers often with an

aponeurosis
 external oblique (broad flat muscle)
 sartorius – a narrow flat muscle with parallel
fibers
o Pennate muscles - feather-like (L. pennatus,
feather) in the arrangement of their fascicles
and may be:
a. unipennate
 extensor digitorum longus
b. bipennate
 rectus femoris
c. multipennate
 deltoid
o Fusiform muscles - spindle shaped with a round,
thick belly (or bellies) and tapered ends
 biceps brachii
o Convergent muscles - arise from a broad area
and converge to form a single
Tendon
 pectoralis major
o Quadrate muscles – have four equal sides (L.
quadratus, square)
 rectus abdominis, between its tendinous
intersections
o Circular or sphincteral muscles - surround a
body opening or orifice, constricting it when
NAMING OF MUSCLES
contracted
 Function
 orbicularis oculi (closes the eyelids)
 Attachment
o Multiheaded or multibellied muscles – have
A. Origin – the proximal end of the muscle,
more than one head of attachment or more
which remains fixed during muscular
than one contratile belly
contraction
a. Biceps muscles – 2 heads of attachment
B. Insertion – distal end of the muscle which is
 Biceps brachii
movable
b. Triceps muscles – 3 heads
o Abductor digiti minimi muscle - abducts the
 Triceps brachii
little finger
**Digastric and gastrocnemius muscles have two bellies.
o Sternocleidomastoid muscle (kleidos, bolt
or bar, clavicle) – attaches inferiorly to the
CONTRACTION OF MUSCLES
sternum and clavicle and superiorly to the
 Skeletal muscles function by contracting, they pull
mastoid process of the temporal bone of
and never push.
the cranium
A. Reflexive Contraction
 Position (medial, lateral, posterior, anterior)
 Although skeletal muscles are also referred to as
 Length (brevis – short; longus – long)
voluntary muscles, certain aspects of their
 Shape
activity are automatic (reflexive) and therefore
not voluntarily controlled.

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above tonic levels to resist gravity or other

Ex. Respiratory movements of the diaphragm and antagonistic force.
Myotatic reflex

B. Tonic Contraction
 Even when “relaxed,” the muscles of a conscious
individual are almost always slightly contracted.
 This slight contraction, called tonic contraction
or muscle tone (tonus), does not produce
movement or active resistance (as phasic
contraction does) but gives the muscle a certain
firmness, assisting the stability of joints and the
maintenance of posture, while keeping the
muscle ready to respond to appropriate stimuli.
 Muscle tone is usually absent only when
unconscious (as during deep sleep or under
general anesthesia) or after a nerve lesion
resulting in paralysis.

C. Phasic Contraction
 Phasic Contraction results from the activation of an
increasing number of motor units above the level
required to maintain muscle tone.
2 main types:
1) Isotonic contractions – muscle changes
length in relationship to the production of
movement
Types of Isotonic contractions:
A. Concentric Contraction - which
movement occurs as a result of the
muscle shortening
For example, when lifting a cup, pushing a
door, or striking a blow.
B. Eccentric Contraction – a contracting
muscle lengthens that is, it undergoes a
controlled and gradual relaxation while  Skeletal striated muscle fiber – structural unit of a
continually exerting a (diminishing) muscle
force, like playing out a rope.  Motor unit – functional unit of a muscle, consisting
 Example, walking, running, and setting objects (or of a motor neuron and the muscle fibers it controls.
one’s self) down

2) Isometric contractions – muscle length

remains the same – no movement occurs,
but the force (muscle tension) is increased

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o As the active movers, concentrically

contract to produce a movement,
antagonists eccentrically contract, relaxing
progressively in coordination to produce a
smooth movement.
*Shunt muscle – acts to maintain contact between the
articular surfaces of the joint it crosses
*Spurt muscle – the more oblique a muscle’s line of pull is
oriented to the bone it moves, the more capable of rapid and
effective movement.

Nerves and arterioles to muscles

 In the limb, muscles of similar actions are generally
contained within a common fascial compartment
and share innervation by the same nerves.

Muscle testing
 Help examiners diagnose nerve injuries
 ELECTROMYOGRAPHY (EMG) – electrical stimulation
of muscles, another method for testing muscle
action

Muscle dysfunction and paralysis

Functions of the Muscles
 ATROPHY (WASTING) of a muscle result from a
 PRIME MOVER (agonist) - main muscle responsible
primary disorder of the muscle or from a lesion of
for producing a specific movement of the body.
the nerve that supplies it.
o It contracts concentrically to produce the
 Muscular atrophy may also be caused by
desired movement, doing most of the work
immobilization of a limb, such as with a cast.
(expending most of the energy) required.
o In most movements, there is a single prime
Absence of muscle tone
mover, but some movements involve two
 this allows joints to be dislocated as he or she is
prime movers working in equal measure
being lifted or positioned.
 FIXATOR - steadies the proximal parts of a limb
 When a muscle is denervated (loses its nerve
through isometric contraction while movements are
supply), it becomes paralyzed (flaccid, lacking both
occurring in distal parts.
its tonus and its ability to contract phasically on
 SYNERGIST – complements the action of a prime
demand or reflexively).
mover.
 In the absence of a muscle’s normal tonus, that of
o May directly assist a prime mover, providing
opposing (antagonist) muscle(s) may cause a limb to
a weaker or less mechanically advantaged
assume an abnormal resting position.
component of the same movement, or it
 In addition, the denervated muscle will become
may assist indirectly, by serving as a fixator
fibrotic and lose its elasticity, also contributing to
of an intervening joint when a prime mover
the abnormal position at rest.
passes over more than one joint
 ANTAGONIST – muscle that opposes the action of
Growth and Regeneration of Skeletal Muscle
another muscle
 Skeletal striated muscle fibers cannot divide, but
o A primary antagonist directly opposes the
they can be replaced individually by new muscle
prime mover, but synergists may also be
opposed by secondary antagonists. fibers derived from satellite cells of skeletal muscle

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 Satellite cells represent a potential  Smooth muscle responds more slowly than striated
source of myoblasts, precursors of muscle cells, muscle and with a delayed and more leisurely
which are capable of fusing with each other to form contraction.
new skeletal muscle fibers if required  It can undergo partial contraction for long periods
 Instead of becoming regenerated effectively, the
and has a much greater ability than striated muscle
new skeletal muscle is composed of a disorganized
mixture of muscle fibers and fibrous scar tissue. to elongate without suffering paralyzing
injury.
II. CARDIAC MUSCLE  Both of these factors are important in regulating the
 Cardiac striated muscle forms the muscular wall of size of sphincters and the caliber of the lumina
the heart, the myocardium. (interior spaces) of tubular structures (e.g., blood
 Some cardiac muscle is also present in the walls of vessels or intestines).
the aorta, pulmonary vein, and superior vena cava.  In the walls of the alimentary tract, uterine tubes,
 Cardiac striated muscle contractions are not under and ureters, smooth muscle cells are responsible for
voluntary control. peristalsis, rhythmic contractions that propel the
 Heart rate is regulated intrinsically by a pacemaker, contents along these tubular structures.
an impulse-conducting system composed of
specialized cardiac muscle fibers; they, in turn, are
influenced by the autonomic nervous system (ANS)
 Both types of striated muscle—skeletal and
cardiac— are further characterized by the
immediacy, rapidity, and strength of their
contractions.
 Note: Even though the trait applies to both
skeletal and cardiac striated muscle, in common
usage, the terms striated and striped are used to
designate voluntary skeletal striated muscle.

III. SMOOTH MUSCLE

 Smooth muscle, named for the absence of striations

in the appearance of the muscle fibers under
microscopy, forms a large part of the middle coat or
layer (tunica media) of the walls of blood vessels
(above the capillary level)
 It also makes up the muscular parts of the walls of
the alimentary tract and ducts.
 Smooth muscle is found in skin, forming the arrector
muscles of hairs associated with hair follicles and in
the eyeball, where it controls lens thickness and
pupil size.
 Like cardiac striated muscle, smooth muscle is
involuntary muscle; however, it is directly innervated
by the ANS.
 Its contraction can also be initiated by
hormonal stimulation or by local stimuli, such as stretching.

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