The muscular system works to control the movement of our body and internal organs.

Muscle
tissue contains something called muscle fibers.
Muscle fibers consist of a single muscle cell. They help to control the physical forces within the
body. When grouped together, they can facilitate organized movement of your limbs and
tissues.
There are several types of muscle fiber, each with different characteristics. Keep reading to
learn more about these different types, what they do, and more.

3 types of muscle tissue in your body. These include:

 skeletal muscle
 smooth muscle
 cardiac muscle
Each of these types of muscle tissue has muscle fibers. Let’s take a deeper dive into the muscle
fibers in each type of muscle tissue.

SKELETAL MUSCLE

Each one of your skeletal muscles is made up of

hundreds to thousands Trusted Source of muscle
fibers that are tightly wrapped together by
connective tissue. Each muscle fiber contains
smaller units made up of repeating thick and thin
filaments. This causes the muscle tissue to be
striated, or have a striped appearance.
Skeletal muscle fibers are classified into two
types: type 1 and type 2. Type 2 is further broken
down into subtypes.
Type 1. These fibers utilize oxygen to generate energy for movement. Type 1 fibers have a
higher density of energy-generating organelles called mitochondria. This makes them dark.
Type 2A. Like type 1 fibers, type 2A fibers can also use oxygen to generate energy for
movement. However, they contain less mitochondria, making them light.
Type 2B. Type 2B fibers don’t use oxygen to generate energy. Instead, they store energy that
can be used for short bursts of movement. They contain even less mitochondria than type 2A
fibers and appear white.
Smooth muscle

Unlike skeletal muscles, smooth muscles aren’t

striated. Their more uniform appearance gives
them their name.
Smooth muscle fibers have an oblong shape, much
like a football. They’re also thousands of times
shorter than skeletal muscle fibers.

Cardiac muscle

Similar to skeletal muscles, cardiac muscles are

striated. They’re only found in the heart. Cardiac
muscle fibers have some unique features.
Cardiac muscle fibers have their own rhythm. Special
cells, called pacemaker cells, generate the impulses
that cause cardiac muscle to contract. This typically
happens at a constant pace, but can also speed up or
slow down as necessary.
Second, cardiac muscle fibers are branched and interconnected. When the pacemaker cells
generate an impulse, it spreads in an organized, wavelike pattern, which facilitates the beating
of your heart.

FUNCTION
The types of muscle tissue have different functions within your body:

 Skeletal muscle. These muscles are attached to your skeleton by tendons and

control the voluntary movements of your body. Examples include walking,
bending over, and picking up an object.

 Smooth muscle. Smooth muscles are involuntary, meaning that you can’t

control them. They’re found in your internal organs and eyes. Examples of some
of their functions include moving food through your digestive tract and changing
the sizes of your pupil.

 Cardiac muscle. Cardiac muscle is found in your heart. Like smooth muscle, it’s
also involuntary. Cardiac muscle contracts in a coordinated way to allow your
heart to beat.

Muscle fibers and muscles work to cause movement in the body. But how does this
occur? While the exact mechanism is different between striated and smooth muscles,
the basic process is similar. The first thing that occurs is something called
depolarization. Depolarization is a change in electric charge. It can be initiated by a
stimulatory input like a nerve impulse or, in the case of the heart, by pacemaker cells.
Depolarization leads to a complex chain reaction within muscle fibers. This eventually
leads to a release of energy, resulting in muscle contraction. Muscles relax when they
stop receiving a stimulatory input.