The Muscular System

Parts & Functions

Muscles play a part in every function of the human body,
from circulation to mobility. The muscular system is made up of
over 600 muscles. These include three muscle types: smooth,
skeletal, and cardiac.
Only skeletal muscles are voluntary, meaning you can
control them consciously. Smooth and cardiac muscles act
involuntarily.
Each muscle type in the muscular system has a specific
purpose. You're able to walk because of your skeletal muscles.
You can digest because of your smooth muscles. And your heart
beats because of your cardiac muscle.
The different muscle types also work together to make these
functions possible. For instance, while you're running (using
skeletal muscles), your heart pumps harder (due to the cardiac
muscle), which causes you to breathe heavier (using smooth
muscles).

Parts of the Muscular System

The muscles of the body are divided into three main types:
skeletal, smooth, and cardiac.

1. Skeletal muscles
Skeletal muscle fibers occur in muscles which are attached
to the skeleton. They are striated in appearance and are under
voluntary control.
This type of muscle creates movement in the body. There are
more than 600 skeletal muscles, and they makes up about 40
percent of a person’s weight.

2. Smooth muscles
Smooth muscle makes up the walls of hollow organs,
respiratory passageways, and blood vessels. It’s wavelike
movements pass things through bodily system, such as food
through your stomach or urine through your bladder. Like cardiac
muscle, smooth muscle is involuntary and also contracts in
response to stimuli and nerve impulses.
There are two types of smooth muscle: Visceral or single-
unit smooth muscle - the most common type. They are composed of
sheets of spindle-shaped cells in close contact with one another
and found in the walls of hollow visceral organs such as the
stomach, intestines, urinary bladder, and uterus.

3. Cardiac muscles
Cardiac muscle is involuntary muscle. This type makes up
the walls of the heart and creates the steady, rhythmic
pulsations that pump blood throughout the body via signals from
the brain. This muscle type also creates the electrical impulses
that produce the heart’s contractions, but hormones and stimuli
from the nervous system can also affect these impulses, such as
when your heart rate increases when you’re scared.
Cardiac muscle is specialized tissue that is found only in
the heart. It has characteristics similar to both smooth and
skeletal muscle tissue, as well as specialized properties, that
allow it to function with fast but sustained contractions, rapid
conduction and coordinated movement.

9 Functions of the Muscular System

1. Mobility
Mobility is your muscular system's simplest and most
crucial function. Your skeletal muscles are largely responsible
for the movements and motions you make. Skeletal muscles are
attached to your bones. They’re controlled, in part, by the
central nervous system. You use your skeletal muscles when you
bend, twist, stretch, run, and perform other movements. Fast-
twitch skeletal muscles cause short bursts of speed and
strength, while slow-twitch muscles function better for longer
movement.

2. Circulation
The involuntary cardiac and smooth muscles help your heart
beat and blood flow through your body. The cardiac muscle, known
as the myocardium, is found in the walls of heart. The cardiac
muscle is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which is
responsible for most bodily functions.
This muscle produces electrical impulses, which help pump
blood and cause your heart to beat. It’s striated, like skeletal
muscles, and has one central nucleus, like a smooth muscle. Your
blood vessels are made up of smooth muscles, and are also
controlled by the autonomic nervous system.

3. Respiration
Your diaphragm is the main muscle at work during quiet
breathing. More labored breathing, like what you experience
during exercise, may require accessory muscles to assist the
diaphragm. These may include the abdominal, neck, and back
muscles.

4. Digestion
Digestion is controlled by smooth muscles found in your
gastrointestinal tract.
Your smooth muscles contract and relax as food passes
through your body during digestion. These muscles also help push
food out of your body, whether through defecation or vomiting
when you're sick.

5. Urination
 Smooth and skeletal muscles make up the urinary system.
The dome of your bladder is made of smooth muscles. You’re
able to release urine when those muscles tighten up. When they
relax, you’re able to hold in your urine. But all of the muscles
in your urinary system work together so you can urinate.

6. Child birth (Women)

Smooth muscles are also found in the uterus. During
pregnancy, these muscles grow and stretch to compensate for the
baby's development. When a woman is ready to go into labor, the
smooth muscles of the uterus contract and relax to help push the
baby through the vagina.

7. Vision
Your eye socket is made up of six skeletal muscles that
help you move your eyes. The internal muscles of your eyes,
though, are made up of smooth muscles.
These muscles work together to help you see the world around
you. If these muscles ever become damaged, your vision can
become impaired.

8. Stability
The skeletal muscles in your core help with stability and
protecting your spine. Your abdominal muscles, back muscles, and
pelvic muscles make up your core muscle group. This core muscle
group is also known as the trunk. The stronger your core, the
better you’re able to stabilize your body. The muscles in your
legs also help steady you.

9. Posture
Your skeletal muscles also control posture, from your head
down to your toes. Flexibility and strength are keys to
maintaining proper posture. Stiff neck muscles, weak back
muscles, and tight hip muscles, among other ailments, can throw
off your alignment. Poor posture can affect your shoulders,
spine, hips, and knees. This can lead to joint pain and weaker
muscles.

Muscle Facts
Smallest muscle in the body:
Stapedius: the muscle that activates the stirrup, the small bone
that sends vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear. It
measures just 0.05 inch (0.13 centimeter) in length.

Largest muscle in the body:

Latissimus dorsi: the large, flat muscle pair that covers the
middle and lower back.

Longest muscle in the body:

Sartorius: the straplike muscle that runs diagonally from the
waist down across the front of the thigh to the knee.

Strongest muscle in the body:

Gluteus maximus: the muscle pair of the hip that form most of
the flesh of the buttocks.

Fastest-reacting muscle in the body?

Orbicularis oculi: the muscle that encircles the eye and closes
the eyelid. It contracts in less than 0.01 second.

Number of muscles used to make a smile?

Seventeen.

Number of muscles used to make a frown?

Forty-three.