Introduction
• Muscular system consists of three muscle
types: cardiac, smooth, and skeletal
• Skeletal muscle most abundant tissue in
the human body (40-45% of total body
weight)
• Human body has more than 430 pairs of
skeletal muscle; most vigorous movement
produced by 80 pairs
Introduction (continued)
• Skeletal muscles provide strength and
protection for the skeleton, enable bones
to move, provide the maintenance of body
posture against gravity
• Skeletal muscles perform both dynamic and
static work
Muscle Structure
• Structural unit of skeletal muscle is the
multinucleated muscle cell or fiber
(thickness: 10-100 m, length: 1-30 cm
• Muscle fibers consist of myofibrils
(sarcomeres in series: basic contractile unit
of muscle)
• Myofibrils consist of myofilaments (actin
and myosin)
Microscopic-
Macroscopic
Structure of
Skeletal
Muscle
Muscle Structure (continued)
• Motor unit
– Vary in ratio of muscle fibers/motor neuron
• Fine control – few fibers (e.g., muscles of eye and
fingers, as few as 3-6/motor neuron), tetanize at
higher frequencies
• Gross control – many fibers (e.g., gastrocnemius,
2000/motor neuron), tetanize at lower frequencies
– Fibers of motor unit dispersed throughout
muscle
Musculotendinous Unit
• Tendon and connective tissues in muscle
(sarcolemma, endomysium, perimysium, and
epimysium) are viscoelastic
• Viscoelastic structures help determine
mechanical characteristics of muscles during
contraction and passive extension
Special Features of Muscle
• Contractibility = cells generate pulling force
• Excitibility = nervous impulses travel through
muscle plasma membrane to stimulate
contraction
• Extensibility = after contraction muscle can be
stretched back to original length by opposing
muscle action
• Elasticity = after being stretched, muscle
passively recoils to resume its resting length
Movements of Muscles
• Extension: increasing angle between body parts
• Flexion: decreasing angle between body parts
– Dorsiflexion vs. Plantarflexion
– Inversion vs. Eversion
• Abduction: moving away from the median plane
• Adduction: moving towards the median plane
• Rotation: moving around the long axis
• Circumduction: moving around in circles
Movements of Muscles
• Elevation: lifting body part superiorly
• Depression: moving body part inferiorly
• Supination: rotating forearm laterally
• Pronation: rotating forearm medially
• Protraction: Anterior movement
• Retraction: Posterior movement
Muscle Basics to Remember
• 3 Types: Skeletal, Cardiac, Smooth
• Origin vs. Insertion
• Direct vs. Indirect Attachments
– direct = right onto bone
– indirect = via tendon/aponeurosis
• more common
• leave bony markings = tubercle, crest, ridge, etc.
• Sometimes attach to skin
Functional Muscle Groups
• Agonist = primary mover of a muscle, major
response produces particular movement
– (eg) biceps brachii is main flexor of forearm
• Antagonists = oppose/reverse particular
movement, prevent overshooting agonistic
motion
– (eg) triceps brachii is antagonist to biceps brachii
Functional Muscle Groups
• Synergists = muscles work together, adds extra
force to agonistic movement, reduce undesirable
extra movement
– (eg) muscles crossing 2 joints
• Fixators = a synergist that holds bone in place to
provide stable base for movement
– (eg) joint stablilizers
Naming Muscles
• Location: (eg) brachialis = arm
• Shape: (eg) deltoid = triangle
• Relative Size: (eg) minimus, maximus, longus
• Direction of Fascicles: (eg) oblique, rectus
• Location of Attachment: (eg) brachioradialis
• Number of Origins: (eg) biceps, quadriceps
• Action: (eg) flexor, adductor, extensor
Arrangement of Muscle Fibers
• Parallel: long axis of fascicles parallel to axis of
muscle; straplike (eg) biceps, sternocleidomastoid
• Convergent: O = broad, I = narrow, via tendon; fan
or triangle shaped (eg) pectoralis major
• Circular: fascicles arranged in concentric circles;
sphincter (eg) around mouth
Arrangement of Muscle Fibers
• Pennate: fascicles short + attached obliquely to
tendon running length of muscle; featherlike
– Unipennate = fascicles insert on only 1 side
• (eg) flexor pollicis longus
– Bipennate = fascicles insert both sides
• (eg) rectus femoris
– Multipennate = many bundles inserting together
• (eg) deltoid
Arrangements of Muscle Fascicles
pg 269
Electrical Signals of Muscle Fibers
• At rest, action potential of muscle fiber -
90 mV;caused by concentrations of ions
outside and inside fiber (resting state)
• With sufficient stimulation, potential inside
cell raised to 30-40 mV (depolarization);
associated with transverse tubular system
and sarcoplasmic reticulum; causes
contraction of fiber
• Return to resting state (repolarization)
• Electrical signals from the motor units
(motor unit action potential, muap) can be
recorded (EMG) via electrodes
