Muscular

System
The Medica Zone
 ● The main function of the muscular system: it’s
What is the in charge of movement in the human body.
Muscular ● It’s composed of specialized cells called muscle
System? fibers which assist in muscle contractibility.
● Muscle contractions are the reason for nearly
all movement in the body.
● There are about 700 different muscles
attached to the bones in the skeletal system,
which make up about half of a person’s body
weight.
Functions of ○ Mobility ○ Childbirth
the Muscular ○ Stability ○ Vision
System
○ Posture ○ Organ Protection
○ Urination ○ Temperature
○ Respiration Regulation
○ Digestion ○ Blood Pressure
 ○ Each individual muscle is considered to be an
What makes organ and it consists of:
up each - skeletal muscle tissue
muscle? - connective tissue
- nerve tissue
- blood/vascular tissue
○ Some muscles may vary in size, shape, and
arrangement of fibers.
 Sarcomeres
Motor Units
○ The functional unit
of striated muscles ○ The term applied to a
Sarcomeres + ○ The most basic unit single motor neuron
Motor Units that makes up our (what stimulates
skeletal system muscle fibers to
(initiates voluntary contract) as well as all
movement) the muscle fibers that
it stimulates
The 3 Types of
Muscles
 ○ Smooth muscles are found in the walls of
Smooth hollow organs such as blood vessels, the GI
Muscle tract, the bladder, etc.
○ They are under the control of the autonomic
nervous system, meaning they function
involuntarily; they also have one central
nucleus.
 ○ The cardiac muscle is found in the walls of
Cardiac the heart and is also controlled by the
Muscle autonomic nervous system (it contracts
involuntarily and rhythmically).
○ It’s a striated muscle and has one central
nucleus.
 ○ Skeletal muscles (also known
Skeletal as striated muscles) are
responsible for the voluntary
Muscle skeletal movements of the
body and are attached to
bones.
○ The peripheral portion of the
nervous system is what
controls these muscles.
○ The basic units of the skeletal
muscle are the muscle fibers.
 ○ Polymyositis: causes inflammation of muscles,
Diseases in as well as their tissues and blood vessels
the Muscular ○ Muscular dystrophy: causes muscle loss and
weakness
System ○ Rhabdomyolysis: causes the breakdown of
skeletal muscles and myoglobin release in the
bloodstream which can lead to kidney damage
○ Cardiomyopathy: causes the heart to be
become abnormally large, thick, or stiff, making
it difficult to efficiently pump blood which can
lead to heart failure and other complications
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