The Skeletal System

• Functions

– Support
– Protection
– Movement
– Storage
– Hematopoeisis
 The Muscles

• Muscular Tissue

– Specialized tissues that

have the ability to
contract
 Skeletal Muscle
• Single, very long, cylindrical,
multinucleated cells
• Obvious striations
• Voluntary (via nervous
system)
• Slow to fast contraction
• Attached to:
– Bones (mostly)

– Skin (face)
 Smooth Muscle
• Single, fusiform,
uninucleated
• No striations
• Involuntary (via nervous
system, hormones,
chemicals, stretch)
• Very slow contractions
Found mostly in:
Walls of hollow organs (except the heart)
 Cardiac Muscle
• Branching chains of cells,
uninucleated
• With striations
• With intercalated disks
• Involuntary (has own
pacemaker; also controlled
via nervous system, and
hormones)
• Slow contractions
• Found in:
– walls of the heart only
 Properties of Muscles

• Contractility

– Ability to forcefully
shorten
 Properties of Muscles
• Elasticity
– Ability to recoil or
bounce back to original
length
• Excitability/Irritability
– Ability to respond to a
stimulus (motor neuron
or hormone)
• Extensibility
– Ability to be stretched
 Functions of Muscles
• Movement
– Skeletal muscles pull on
rigid skeleton (results in
different body
movements)
• Posture
– Maintenance of posture
(through constant
contractile force)

– Mostly unconscious
 Functions of Muscles
• Joint Stability
– Through resistance of muscles
surrounding joints
• Heat Production
– Contraction generates heat
(responsible for maintenance
of homeostatic temperature)

• Shiver (when core body

temperature falls)