Skeletal Muscle Allied Health I

Skeletal Muscle System  Bones can not move themselves  Composed of muscle tissue that is highly specialized to contract, or shorten, to produce movement when stimulated  Includes muscle tissue, blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue

Skeletal Muscle System  Size and location of the muscle tissue helps to determine shape of our bodies and the way we move  40-50% of the human body mass is composed of muscle tissue

Characteristics of Muscle  Properties that enable muscle to function and contribute to homeostasis  Excitability  Ability to respond to stimuli  Contractility  Ability to contract forcefully when stimulated, exerts a pull  Extensibility  Ability to stretch without being damaged and can still be contracted while in full stretch  Elasticity  Ability to return to an original length

Skeletal Muscle Anatomy  Attaches to the skeleton by way of a tendon  Functions are to produce movement, produce heat, posture  Shape is cigar shaped, multinucleated, fibers in a parallel pattern, striated

Skeletal Muscle Anatomy  Responsible for VOLUNTARY movement  Also known as the conscious movement muscle  Controlled through the CNS (Central Nervous System

Skeletal Muscle Anatomy Image

Muscle Tissue Anatomy

Components of Skeletal Muscle Tissue  Fascia  Dense sheet or broad band of irregular connective tissue that surrounds muscles  Epimysium  Outermost layer  Separates muscle fibers into bundles called fascicles  Perimysium  Surrounds numerous bundles of fascicles  Endomysium  Separates individual muscle fibers from one another  Tendon  Cord that attach a muscle to a bone