Muscular System Quiz

10 Questions

What is the primary reason for wrinkles forming on the skin?

Decreased ability of skin to stretch or shrink

What is the primary function of facial expressions?

To convey emotions through non-verbal communication

What is the typical progression of facial wrinkles?

From the corners of the eyes to the brow and mouth

What is the primary cause of carpal tunnel syndrome?

Compression of the median nerve

What is the role of the carpal ligament in the wrist?

To restrain and align the tendons that move the hand and fingers

What is the term for the passageway in the wrist where the median nerve and flexor tendons pass through?

Carpal tunnel

What is a common symptom of carpal tunnel syndrome?

Numbness in the hand

What is a potential cause of carpal tunnel syndrome?

Hereditary predisposition

What is the term for the muscles that enable facial expressions?

Facial musculature

What is the primary function of the facial musculature?

To convey emotions through facial expressions

Study Notes

The Muscular System

The muscular system creates body heat and moves the bones, food, blood, and fluids through the skeletal, digestive, circulatory, and excretory systems, respectively.
Muscles make up 1/3 of the body's weight.

Muscle Tissue

There are three main types of muscle tissue: skeletal, smooth, and cardiac.
Skeletal muscle tissue is composed of long cells called muscle fibers that have a striated appearance.
Smooth muscle tissue is found in the walls of body parts such as airways, stomach, and blood vessels.
Cardiac muscle tissue is found only in the heart and is responsible for circulating blood throughout the body.

Skeletal Muscles

Skeletal muscles attach to bones by tendons (connective tissue) and enable movement.
Skeletal muscles are mostly voluntary and are controlled by the nervous system.
A typical muscle spans a joint and tapers at each end into a fibrous tendon anchored to a bone.

Tendons

Tendons are tough, fibrous cords of connective tissue that link skeletal muscles to bones.
Tendons have Sharpey's fibers that pass through the bone covering (periosteum) to embed in the bone.

Smooth Muscle

Smooth muscle is found in the walls of body parts such as airways, stomach, and blood vessels.
Smooth muscle is involuntary and works automatically rather than under conscious control.

Cardiac Muscle

Cardiac muscle is found only in the heart and is responsible for circulating blood throughout the body.
Cardiac muscle has its own pacemaker for rhythmic beating.
Cardiac muscle is made up of cells called cardiocytes.

How Skeletal Muscles Move

Skeletal muscles move when the muscular system and the nervous system work together.
The nervous system generates a signal that travels through a motor neuron to the neuromuscular junction.
The signal releases a chemical message that binds to receptors on the muscle fiber, starting a chemical reaction that makes the muscle contract.

Muscle Pairs

Muscles are grouped together in pairs on the skeleton.
Muscles can't push, they only contract and pull the bones to which they are anchored.
When one muscle of a pair contracts, the other relaxes.

Facial Muscles and Emotions

The muscles of the face, head, and neck interact to move facial features such as eyebrows, eyelids, and lips.
Facial muscles are anchored to bones, tendons, or aponeuroses (dense, sheet-like clusters of fibrous connective tissue).
Facial expressions are an important method of non-verbal communication and can convey a wide range of emotions.

Muscular System Pathologies

Common disorders and conditions of the muscular system include carpal tunnel syndrome, which occurs when the tendons become inflamed, causing compression of the median nerve.