Questions and Answers
What are the functions of the muscular system?
The muscular system helps with body movement, supports body posture, produces heat and energy, protects internal organs, helps make blood, food, and waste products, and opens and closes body openings.
What are the four common traits of all muscles?
Excitability or Irritability, contractibility, extensibility, and elasticity.
What is muscle tone?
Muscle tone refers to the ability of muscles to be slightly contracted at all times, even when not in use.
What are the three types of muscles, and what is the function of each?
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What is the anatomical make-up of each muscle type?
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What is atrophy?
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What is contracture?
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What is muscle strain?
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What are the causes, symptoms, and treatment of muscle strain?
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What is fibromyalgia?
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What are the causes, symptoms, and treatment of fibromyalgia?
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What is muscular dystrophy?
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What are the symptoms and treatment of muscular dystrophy?
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Study Notes
Functions of the Muscular System
- Facilitates body movement and supports posture.
- Generates heat and energy for bodily functions.
- Protects internal organs from injury.
- Aids in circulation of blood, food, and waste through the body.
- Regulates body openings by contraction and relaxation.
Common Traits of Muscles
- Muscles exhibit excitability (irritability), allowing them to respond to stimuli.
- Characterized by contractibility, enabling muscle shortening for movement.
- Possess extensibility, which allows stretching without damage.
- Feature elasticity, enabling them to return to original shape after stretching.
- Muscle tone indicates a state of readiness, characterized by slight contraction.
Types of Muscles and Their Functions
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Cardiac Muscle:
- Located in the heart; responsible for pumping blood.
- Involuntary and striated with intercalated discs.
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Visceral (Smooth) Muscle:
- Found in walls of hollow organs, blood vessels, and eyes.
- Involuntary muscle that facilitates internal organ movement.
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Skeletal Muscle:
- Attached to bones and primarily responsible for body movements.
- Mostly under voluntary control; striated in appearance.
Anatomical Structure of Muscle Types
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Skeletal Muscle:
- Features alternating light (I band) and dark (A band) stripes.
- Contains Z discs (in light bands) and H zones (in dark bands).
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Visceral Muscle:
- Lacks cross stripes; consists of spindle-shaped cells with a single nucleus.
- Contracts slowly and involuntarily, located in internal organs.
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Cardiac Muscle:
- Striated like skeletal muscle, but cells are shorter and branched.
- Contains one or more nuclei per cell and tightly interlocks with neighboring cells.
Muscle Atrophy and Contracture
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Atrophy:
- A decrease in muscle size and strength due to disuse or illness.
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Contracture:
- Severe muscle tightening resulting in permanent joint bending.
Muscle Strain
- Defined as tears or overstretching of muscles or tendons.
- Common causes include muscle overuse or excessive stretching.
- Symptoms include pain, stiffness, and swelling.
- Treatment includes rest, muscle relaxants, and pain medication.
Fibromyalgia
- A condition characterized by chronic pain in specific muscle sites.
- Symptoms may be exacerbated by stress, weather changes, or physical inactivity.
- Treatment focuses on rest, stress management, exercise, massage, and medication for muscle relaxation and pain relief.
Muscular Dystrophy
- A hereditary group of diseases leading to progressive muscle weakness and atrophy.
- Symptoms include painless muscle weakness that worsens over time.
- Treatment aims to slow disease progression through medication, physical therapy, and surgery.
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Description
Test your knowledge of the Muscular System with these flashcards. Explore its functions, traits, and the concept of muscle tone. Perfect for students looking to reinforce their understanding of human anatomy.