MUSCULAR SYSTEM

Muscle Tissues
Types
A. Skeletal Muscles
a. Striated and voluntary
b. Forms the smoother contours of the body
c. Cigar shaped, multinucleated
d. Fibers can be seen by naked eye
e. Often activated by reflexes
f. Connective tissue wrapping – provides strength and support to the
muscle as a whole; allows muscle to exert tremendous power
without being ripped apart
i. Endomysium – Binds the sarcolemma
ii. Perimysium – Binds the fascicle
iii. Fascicle – Bundle of fibers
iv. Epimysium – “overcoat”; covers the entire muscle
v. Aponeuroses – attach muscles indirectly to bones,
cartilages or connective tissue coverings
vi. Tendons – connects muscle to bone, provide durability
and conserve space
B. Smooth Muscles
a. Visceral, non-striated, and involuntary
b. Spindle shaped
c. Arranged in sheets or layers
d. Stomach, urinary bladder and respiratory passages
C. Cardiac Muscles
a. Striated and involuntary
b. Arranged in spiral or figure 8 – shaped
c. Branched in cells joined by special junctions called intercalated disks

Physiologic properties
a. Electrical excitability
a. It is the ability to respond to certain stimuli by producing signals such as action potentials
b. Contractility
a. It is the ability of muscle tissue to contract when stimulated
c. Extensability
a. Ability to stretch
b. Allows muscle to contract even when stretched
d. Elasticity
a. Ability to return to its original length and shape after contraction or extension

Comparison of the different types of muscle

Characteristics Skeletal Smooth Cardiac

Location
Shape and appearance
Regulation of contraction
Speed of contraction
Rhytmic contraction
Attached to bones or even skin Hollow visceral organs Heart
Single, long cylindrical, Single, uninucleated, no Branching, uninucleated,
multinucleated and very striations, spindle shaped straited
obvious striations
Voluntary via NS Involuntary via NS and Involuntary via NS and own
hormones pace maker, hormones
Slow to fast Very slow Slow
No Yes to some yes

Functions of the Muscular system

a. Movement

b. Posture and joint stabilization

c. Storing and moving substances within the body

d. Generating heat
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Microscopic anatomy of the Skeletal Muscle

Sarcolemma – (sarc-flesh + lemma – sheath) plasma membrane

of the muscle cell
Myofibrils- ribbone like organelles ; contractile elements of the
skeletal muscle
 Bands – give the muscle cell their stripped appearance
 Dark bands- A bands (H-Zone)
 Light bands – I bands (Z- line)
Sarcomere (mere- part) – basic functional unit of a myofibril
Myofilaments – Thread like proteins inside the sarcomere
a. Myosin – Thick filaments made up of proteins, myosin
and ATPase enzymes which split to generate power for
muscle contraction
b. Actin – Thin filaments, slides together with myosin,
anchored to the z disc
c. Sarcoplasmic reticulum(SR) – Fluid filled system of
memranous sacs that encircles the myofibril
 Store Ca ions and releases it “on demand” when the
muscle fiber is stimulated to contract.
o Ca ions provide final “go” signal

Skeletal Muscle activity

I. Stimulation and contraction of single skeletal muscle

The nerve stimulus and action potential

One motor neuron may stimulate a few muscle cells or
hundreds of them, depending on the particular muscle and the work
it does.
Neuromuscular junctions – end of the axon terminal that would
connect to the muscle
Neurotransmitter – released by neuron passes in the synaptic cleft,
more specific neurotransmitter = Acethylcholine (Ach)
Ach makes sacrolemma permeable to sodium ions (Na+),
that rush into the muscle

Mechanism of contraction: Sliding Filament Theory

After stimulation by the NS the sliding begins. Energized by the
ATP, each cross bridge attaches and detaches several times during
contraction, acting like oars to pull filaments toward center of the
sarcomere.
 Attachment of myosin cross bridge requires Ca ions, so the
SR release Ca ions into the sarcoplasm.
 When the action potential ends, Ca is absorbed into the SR
storage areas, and the muscle cell relaxes and goes to its
original length.

II. Contraction of skeletal muscle as a whole

Graded responses
 “all-or-none” law of muscle physiology applies to the muscle cell, not to the whole muscle.
o States that a muscle cell will contract to its fullest extent when stimulated adequately; it never partially contracts.
 Skeletal muscles are organs that is made up of thousands of muscle cells, and they react to stimuli with graded response, or
different degrees of shortening.
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2 ways of graded contractions

1. Change in the speed of contraction
2. Change in the number of muscle cells being stimulated

1. Change in Speed ( Rapid Stimulation)

Nerve impulses are delivered to the muscle at a very rapid rate – so rapid that muscles don’t get time to relax completely
between stimuli.
Results to “summed” contractions that gets stronger and smoother and smoother.
Tetanus- State where muscle is stimulated so rapidly resulting in smooth and sustained contractions
2. Change in number of cells or Stronger Stimuli
The more muscle cells stimulated then it reaches the strongest contraction

III. Energy for Muscle Contraction

A. ATP molecules
 are hydrolyzed to release needed energy.
 Limited supply – about 4-6 seconds worth

Three pathways for ATP

1. Direct phosphorylation of ADP by creatine phosphate (CP)
High energy molecule creatine phosphate is found in muscle fiber
CP interacts with ADP resulting in ATP regeneration
2. Aerobic Respiration
Use of Oxygen to regenerate ATP specially during rest and light
exercise
3. Anaerobic glycolysis and lactic acid formation
Breakdown of glucose

IV. Muscle fatigue and O2 Debt

Continous use of muscle tissue leads to use of O2, when O2 debt happens
muscle becomes fatigue

V. Type of muscle contraction

i. Isotonic contractions (same tone or tension)
1. Myofilaments are succesful in sliding, muscle shortens and movement occurs
ii. Isometric contractions
1. Muscle does not shorten, but tension is present

Muscle tone – result of different motor units, which are scattered throught the muscle stimulated by the NS is a systematic way

VI. Exercise and muscle

Regular exercise increases muscle size, strength nad endurance
Aerobic or endurance exercises – stronger more flexible muscles with stronger resistance to fatigue
Isometric exercise – leads to muscle atrophy resulting in bigger mass

VII. Muscle movement

a. Flexion – movement that decrease the angle of the joint and brings 2 bones closer together.
b. Extension – Movements that increase the angle or distance between 2 bones
c. Abduction – moving a limb away from the midline or median plane
d. Adduction – movement towards the midline
e. Rotation – movement around the longitudinal axis. Common in ball-and-socket joints
f. Circumduction – combination of flexion, extension, abduction, usually proximal end is stationary and distal is
moving creating a cone.
g. Pronation – moving the palm of the hand from an anterior or upward facing, position to a posterior, or downward-
facing
h. Supination – moving from posterior to anterior
i. Inversion – Turning the sole of the foot so that it faces medially
j. Eversion – turning the sole of the foot laterally
k. Dorsiflexion – movement at the ankle that moves the instep of the foot up and dorsally toward the shin
l. Plantar Flexion – Straighten the ankle joints, causes the toes to point downward
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VIII. Type of muscle

a. Prime mover – the muscle that has the major responsibility for causing a particular movement
b. Antagonist – muscles that oppose or reverse a movement
c. Synergists – help prime movers by producing the same movements or by reducing undesirable or unnecessary
movement
d. Fixators – Are specialized synergist
a. Hold bone still, stabilize the origin of a prime mover
b. Postural muscles that stabilizes the vertebral column