CHAPTER 6: THE MUSCULAR SYSTEM

NURANP | First Semester - Midterms

○ Aponeuroses
THE MUSCULAR SYSTEM ■ sheet-like structure
● muscles are responsible for all types of body ● Sites of Muscle Attachment
movement ○ Bones
● three basic muscle types are found in the body ○ Cartilage
○ Skeletal muscle ○ Connective Tissue coverings
○ Cardiac muscle
○ Smooth muscle Smooth Muscle Characteristics
● has no striations
Characteristics of Muscles ● spindle-shaped cells
● muscle cells are elongated ● single nucleus
○ muscle cell = muscle fiber ● involuntary
● contraction of muscles is due to the movement of ○ no conscious control
myofilaments ● found mainly in the walls of hollow organs – visceral
○ the muscle cell equivalent of the ● arranged in two sheets or layers
microfilaments of cytoskeletons
● all muscles share some terminology
○ prefix myo = muscle
○ prefix mys = muscle
○ prefix sarco = flesh

Skeletal Muscle Characteristics

● most are attached by tendons to bones
● cells are multinucleate and cigar-shaped
● Striated
○ have visible banding
● Voluntary
○ subject to conscious control
● cells are surrounded and bundled by connective
tissue
Cardiac Muscle Characteristics
Connective Tissue Wrappings of Skeletal Muscle ● has striations
● Endomysium ● involuntary
○ connective tissue around single muscle fiber ● usually has a single nucleus
● Perimysium ● found only in the heart
○ around a fascicle (bundle) of fibers ● joined to another muscle cell at an intercalated disc
● Epimysium
○ covers the entire skeletal muscle
● Fascia
○ on the outside of epimysium

Function of Muscles
● produce movement
● maintain posture
● stabilize joints
● generate heat

Skeletal Muscle Attachments

● Epimysium blends into a connective tissue
attachment MICROSCOPIC ANATOMY OF
○ Tendon SKELETAL MUSCLE
■ cord-like structure ● cells are multinucleate

1
● nuclei are just beneath the sarcolemma – plasma ● Contractility
membrane ○ ability to shorten when an adequate stimulus
is received

NERVE STIMULUS TO MUSCLE

● skeletal muscles must be stimulated by a nerve to
contract
● Motor Unit
○ one neuron
○ muscle cells stimulated by that neuron
● Sarcolemma
○ specialized plasma membrane
● Sarcoplasmic Reticulum
○ specialized endoplasmic reticulum
● Myofibril
○ bundles of myofilaments
○ assigned to give distinct bands
○ I band = light band
○ A band = dark band

● Neuromuscular Junctions
○ association site of nerve and muscle
○ Synaptic Cleft
■ gap between nerve and muscle
➢ nerve and muscle do not
make contact
➢ area between nerve and
● Sarcomere
muscle is filled with
○ contractile unit of a muscle fiber
interstitial fluid
○ Organization:
■ thick filaments = myosin filaments
➢ composed of the protein
myosin
■ has ATPase enzymes
■ thin filaments = actin filaments
➢ composed of the protein
actin and regulatory
protein

Transmission of Nerve Impulse to Muscle

● Neurotransmitter
○ chemical released by nerve upon arrival of
nerve impulse
■ the neurotransmitter for skeletal
● myosin filaments have heads (extensions, or cross muscle is acetylcholine (ACh)
bridges) ● neurotransmitter attaches to receptors on the
● myosin and actin overlap somewhat sarcolemma
● at rest, there is a bare zone that lacks actin filaments ● sarcolemma becomes temporarily permeable to
– the H zone sodium
● Sarcoplasmic Reticulum (SR) ● sodium rushing into the cell generates an action
○ for storage of calcium potential
● once started, muscle contraction cannot be stopped
● to return to resting state
○ potassium ions (K+) diffuse out of the cell
○ sodium-potassium pump pumps sodium and
potassium back to their original positions

THE SLIDING FILAMENT THEORY

OF MUSCLE CONTRACTION
● activation by nerve causes myosin heads (cross
bridges) to attach to binding sites on the thin filament
PROPERTIES OF ● myosin heads then bind to the next site of the thin
SKELETAL MUSCLE ACTIVITY filament when ATP is present
● Irritability ● this continued action causes a sliding of the myosin
○ ability to receive and respond to stimulus along the actin

2
 ● the result is that the muscle is shortened (contracted) ○ Fused (Complete) Tetanus
● calcium ions are required for the attachment of ■ no evidence of relaxation before the
myosin cross bridges to actin following contractions
■ the result is a sustained muscle
contraction

Muscle Response to Strong Stimuli

● muscle force depends upon the number of fibers
stimulated
● more fibers contracting results in greater muscle
tension
● muscles can continue to contract unless they run out
The Sliding Filament Theory
of energy

Energy for Muscle Contraction

● initially, muscles used stored ATP for energy
○ bonds of ATP are broken to release energy
○ only 4-6 seconds worth of ATP is stored by
muscles
● after this initial time, other pathways must be utilized
to produce ATP
● Direct Phosphorylation
○ only muscle cells contain Creatine
Phosphate (CP)
Contraction of a Skeletal Muscle ■ a high-energy molecule
● muscle fiber contraction is “all or none” ○ after ATP is depleted, ADP is left
● within a skeletal muscle, not all fibers may be ○ CP transfers energy to ADP, to regenerate
stimulated during the same interval ATP
● different combinations of muscle fiber contractions ○ CP supplies are exhausted in about 20
may give differing responses seconds
● Graded Responses
○ different degrees of skeletal muscle
shortening
○ changing frequency of stimulation
○ changing number of muscle cells stimulated

Types:
○ Twitch
■ single, brief jerky contraction
■ not a normal muscle function
○ Tetanus (Summing of Contractions)
■ one contraction is immediately
followed by another
■ the muscle does not completely
return to a resting state
■ the effects are added ● Aerobic Respiration
○ series of metabolic pathways that occur in
the mitochondria
○ glucose is broken down to carbon dioxide
and water, releasing energy
○ this is a slower reaction that requires
continuous oxygen

○ Unfused (Incomplete) Tetanus

■ some relaxation occurs between
contractions
■ the results are summed
3
 ○ Origin
■ attachment to an immoveable bone
○ Insertion
■ attachment to a movable bone

● Anaerobic Glycolysis Types of Ordinary Body Movements

○ reaction that breaks down glucose without ● Flexion
oxygen ○ brings 2 bones closer together
○ glucose is broken down to pyruvic acid to ● Extension
produce some ATP ○ increases distance between 2 bones
○ pyruvic acid is converted to lactic acid ● Rotation
○ this reaction is not as efficient, but is fast ● Abduction
■ huge amounts of glucose are ○ moving a limb away from the midline of the
needed body
■ lactic acid produces muscle fatigue ● Adduction
○ moving a limb toward the midline
Muscle Fatigue and Oxygen Debt ● Circumduction
● when a muscle is fatigued, it is unable to contract ○ combination of all of the above except
even when stimulated rotation
● the common reason for muscle fatigue is oxygen debt
○ oxygen must be “repaid” to tissue to remove Body Movements
oxygen debt
○ oxygen is required to get rid of accumulated
lactic acid

Type of Muscle Contractions

● Isotonic Contractions
○ “same tone” or tension
○ myofilaments are able to slide past each
other during contractions
○ the muscle shortens
● Isometric Contractions
○ “same measurement” or length
○ tension in the muscles increases
○ the muscle is unable to shorten
Special Movements
Muscle Tone ● Dorsiflexion
● some fibers are contracted even in a relaxed muscle ○ lifting the foot
● different fibers contract at different times to provide ● Plantar flexion
muscle tone ○ depressing the foot
● the process of stimulating various fibers is under ● Inversion
involuntary control ○ turn foot inward
● Eversion
Effects of Exercise on Muscle ○ turn foot outward
● results of increased muscle use ● Supination
○ increase in muscle size ○ hand facing upward
○ increase in muscle strength ● Pronation
○ increase in muscle efficiency ○ and facing downward
○ muscle becomes more fatigue resistant ● Opposition
○ touching thumb to other fingers
Muscle and Body Movements
● movement is attained due to a muscle moving an Types of Muscles
attached bone ● Prime Mover
● muscles are attached to at least two points
4
 ○ muscle with the major responsibility for a
certain movement
● Antagonist
○ muscle that opposes or reverses a prime
mover
● Synergist
○ muscle that aids a prime mover in the same
movement and helps prevent rotation or
unwanted movement
● Fixator
○ stabilizes the origin of a prime mover so all Deep Trunk and Arm Muscles
tension can be used to move the insertion
bone

Naming of Skeletal Muscles

● Direction of Muscle Fibers
○ Example: rectus (straight) or oblique
(slanted)
● Relative Size of the Muscle
○ Example: maximus (largest), minimus
(smallest), longus (long)
● Location of the muscle
○ Example: many muscles are named for Muscles of the Pelvis, Hip, and Thigh
bones (e.g., temporalis, which is near the
temporal bone)
● Number of origins
○ Example: biceps, triceps, quadriceps (two,
three, or four origins or heads)
● Location of the muscle’s origin and insertion
○ Example: sterno (on the sternum) cleido
(clavicle) mastoid (on the mastoid process)
● Shape of the muscle
○ Example: deltoid (triangular)
● Action of the muscle
○ Example: flexor and extensor (flexes or
extends a bone) Muscles of the Lower Leg

Head and Neck Muscles

Superficial Muscles: Anterior

Trunk Muscles

5
Superficial Muscles: Posterior