UNIT 4

Reading Section:
The Muscular System
The muscular system comprises approximately 650 named
muscles, making up roughly half of a person’s body weight.
Composed of specialized cells named muscle fibers, this system is
responsible for the movement of the human body. Muscle tissues
can also be found inside the heart, digestive system and blood
vessels, where they serve to move substances throughout the body.
In addition to the above mentioned functions, muscle contraction
fulfills other essential functions in the body such as heat production,
posture, joint stability.
There are three types of muscle tissue in the human body:
striated (skeletal), visceral (smooth) and cardiac. The striated
muscle – also called skeletal muscle because it is attached to the
bones – is responsible for skeletal movements. This type of muscle
is the only voluntary muscle tissue in the body: every physical
action that we consciously perform (walking, singing, writing)
requires skeletal muscles. These muscle fibers are striated (hence the
name) and each acts independently of neighboring muscle fibers.
Found only inside the walls of the heart, the cardiac muscle
is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body and
maintaining blood pressure. Unlike the skeletal muscle, the cardiac
one cannot be controlled consciously, so it is an involuntary muscle.
This means that we are unable to voluntary control the contractions
of the heart. The cell of the cardiac muscle tissue is striated since its
myofibrils are arranged in sarcomeres, just as in skeletal muscle.
Smooth (visceral) muscle can be found inside organs like
blood vessels, bladder, gastrointestinal tract or uterus and makes
organs contract in order to move substances throughout the
respective organ. It is called smooth because it this type of muscle
has no sarcomeres and therefore no striations. The smooth muscle
acts involuntary because it cannot be controlled consciously.
Some common conditions and disorders that can affect the
muscular system are:
Sprains and strains: a sprain is a stretching or tearing of
ligaments due to minor trauma – usually of the ankle – while a strain
is an injury to a muscle or tendon caused by force, stretching or
overuse.
Tendinitis: is caused by a repeated injury to an area such
as wrist or ankle which leads to an inflammation or irritation of that
particular tendon.
Cramps: involuntary contractions or spasms in one or
more muscles which usually occurs after exercise and is caused by
straining or overuse of a muscle, dehydration, low levels of
electrolytes (such as potassium, magnesium, calcium), pregnancy
etc.
Muscular dystrophy: a group of inherited muscle diseases
causing muscle loss and weakness. All forms grow worse in time
with most people losing their ability to walk.
 Cardiomyopathy: is a progressive disease which affects
the cardiac muscle causing the heart to become abnormally
enlarged. It may have numerous causes such as alcohol abuse, high
blood pressure, viral infections, coronary artery disease etc.

Discussion
1. What are the three major types of muscles in the body?
2. What is the muscle that pumps blood throughout the body?
3. Which type of muscle is found in our digestive system?
4. Which type of muscle is the only voluntary muscle tissue in
our body?
5. What are some common conditions affecting the muscular
system?
6. What types of muscle are striated?
7. What is the 1st function of the muscular system?
8. Which is the disease that affects the heart causing it to
become abnormally enlarged?

Review
A. Complete the following sentences with the appropriate
word:
1. The muscular system is composed of specialized cells
named ….. …..
2. The ….. ….. is responsible for skeletal movements.
3. The ….. ….. is responsible for pumping blood.
4. ….. ….. can be found inside the bladder.
5. A ….. is a stretching or tearing of ligaments.
6. ….. are involuntary contractions of muscles.
7. A repeated injury to wrist or ankle leads to …..

B. Mention some other conditions that may affect the

muscular system.
C. Match the anatomical terms with their definitions:
The voluntary muscle
Smooth muscle that attaches to bone and
allows the body to move
Tendons Tick connective
tissue that holds bone to bone
Tick connective
Ligament tissue that holds muscle to
bone.
Skeletal muscle The involuntary
tissue that makes up the
muscle found in internal
organs
The involuntary
Involuntary muscle muscle tissue that is only
found in the heart
Muscle tissue that is
Cardiac muscle not under our conscious
control
 A stretching or
Cramps tearing of ligaments due to
minor trauma
Sprain Involuntary
contraction in one or more
muscles

Vocabulary Practice
A. Find synonyms in the text for the following words:
1. consist of
2. flesh
3. carry out
4. flat
5. unimportant
6. wound
7. automatic
8. increasing
Glossary
striated /strʌɪˈeɪtɪd/ - striat
visceral /ˈvɪs(ə)r(ə)l/ - visceral, intern
myofibril /ˌmʌɪə(ʊ)ˈfʌɪbrɪl/ - miofibrilă
sarcomere /ˈsɑːkə(ʊ)mɪə/ - sarcomer
tendinitis ˌ/ten-də-ˈnī-təs/ - tendinită
dystrophy /ˈdɪstrəfi/ - distrofie
cardiomiopathy /ˌkɑːdɪəʊmʌɪˈɒpəθi/ - cardiomiopatie