The muscular system has four key characteristics: excitability, contractility, extensibility, and elasticity. These characteristics allow muscles to perform important functions like movement, maintaining posture, supporting soft tissues, and regulating body temperature. There are three main types of muscle in the body: cardiac, smooth, and skeletal. Skeletal muscle is responsible for all body movements and attaches to bones via tendons. It comprises around 30-35% of total body mass in women and 42-47% in men.
2. There are four characteristics associated with
muscle tissue:
Excitability - Tissue can receive & respond to
stimulation
Contractility - Tissue can shorten & thicken
Extensibility - Tissue can lengthen
Elasticity - After contracting or lengthening,
tissue always wants to return to its resting
state
Functions
3. The characteristics of muscle tissue enable it to
perform some important functions, including:
Movement – both voluntary & involuntary
Maintaining posture
Supporting soft tissues within body cavities
Maintaining body temperature
Functions
4. The Muscular System
Muscles are responsible for all types of
body movement – they contract or
shorten and are the machine of the
body
Three basic muscle types are found in
the body, what are they?
5. 3 Types of Muscle
The human body is comprised of 324 muscles
Muscle makes up 30-35% (in women) and 42-
47% (in men) of body mass
Cardiac
Smooth
Skeletal
6. Characteristics of Muscles
Muscle cells are elongated
(muscle cell = muscle fiber)
Contraction of muscles is due to the
movement of microfilaments
All muscles share some terminology
Prefix myo refers to muscle
Prefix mys refers to muscle
Prefix sarco refers to flesh
7. Anatomy of skeletal muscles
Skeletal
muscle
fiber (cell)
Muscle
Fascicle
Surrounded by
perimysium
Surrounded by
endomysium
endomysium
perimysium
Skeletal
muscle
Surrounded by
epimysium
epimysium
tendon
