Parts Of The Muscular System

Parts Of The Muscular System

The muscular system is the network of tissues body that controls the internal and external movements of the body. This system generates movements by contracting and relaxing the muscles, which comprise more than half of the body mass. There are three types of muscles: skeletal, cardiac and smooth. They can be voluntary or involuntary.

Skeletal Muscles

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According to besthealth. com, there are more than 600 skeletal muscles in the human body. They are attached to the bones and, in general, are under conscious control for locomotion, facial expressions, posture and other bodily movements. The skeletal muscles are striated, which means that the fibers are aligned in parallel bands or chains. These muscles remain attached to the bones through tough, fibrous tendons.

Smooth muscles

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Unlike skeletals, which remain attached to bones, these muscles are found throughout the body in places such as organs and blood vessels. One of its most important functions is to create waveform contractions known as peristalsis. The body needs peristalsis to carry out vital functions, such as digestion and transport of nutrients. Besthealth com states that any action that the body performs without conscious thought is caused by the contraction of a smooth muscle.

Cardiac Muscles

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Like skeletal muscles, these are striated muscles. The cardiac muscles are only found in the heart and are composed of a material known as atria and ventricles or cardiac walls. The autonomic nervous system is in charge of controlling these muscles, therefore, they are involuntary.

Flexor muscles and extensors

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According to cienceclarified. com, the flexion (contraction) of a muscle is balanced by the extension (relaxation) of another muscle or group of muscles. These opposing muscle movements allow the joints of the body to open or close. When the flexor muscles contract, the joint closes. When the extensor muscles contract, the joint opens. An example is the relationship between the biceps and the triceps. When the biceps flexes, the triceps relaxes, and vice versa.

Muscle fibers

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There are two types of muscle fibers: those with fast contraction and those with slow contraction. According to besthealth. com, the former are used during anaerobic exercises, while the latter are used during aerobic exercises.Fast-twitch muscles provide a short burst of force or speed, although they quickly fatigue. Those of slow contraction provide greater amount of average energy over a prolonged period of time.

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