Muscles of the Body

The human body is composed of bones and muscles. Hence, it can be said that the muscles of the body are one of the most important components that make up an entire human being. It is said that there are about 650 different skeletal muscles in the body. Apart from that, there are other muscle tissues as well such as the cardiac muscle tissue and the smooth muscle tissue. 

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Smooth muscles tend to exist inside the body and that too on a cellular level. This means one can actually possess billions of cells for the smooth muscles. In this article, students are going to find out more about the important muscles of the body. 

What are the Major Muscles of the Body?

The entire muscular system is solely responsible for the movements that happen in the body of a human being. On the basis of the functions as well as the placement that they have, muscles can be grouped into three different types. The different types of muscles of the body include skeletal muscles, smooth muscles, and cardiac muscles. 

There are a variety of functions performed by these muscles in the first place. From pumping the blood from the heart to the movement of food through the digestive system and walking plus running, there are multiple functions of the muscles of the body. 

Skeletal Muscles: Voluntary Muscles of the Body 

The skeletal muscles are actually attached to the bone of the body via the tendons. Every single muscle is made up of thousands of muscle fibres that are properly bundled together. With such an organized arrangement, the muscle fibres actually lead to the creation of a stripe-like pattern. Hence, skeletal muscles are also called striated muscles. Skeletal muscles are the only muscles that human beings have under their control and hence they are also known as the voluntary muscles of the body. 

The skeletal muscles tend to have a very important role to play in the facilitation of movement in the body of human beings. With the contraction of a specific muscle, movement in a specific area occurs. Some of the examples of the skeletal muscles include the muscles of the neck, the back, the hip, the thigh, the leg, etc. 

Smooth Muscles: Cellular Level Muscles 

Smooth muscles are one of the major muscles of the body that exist on a cellular level and hence can be found on the different organ systems that your body has. However, the number of smooth muscles is not limited to the organ system. This is one of the main reasons why smooth muscles are known to be one of the most important muscles in the body. Some of the examples of smooth muscles include the muscles in the digestive system, cardiovascular system, reproductive system, respiratory system, etc. 

Smooth muscles are also known as the soft muscles of the body. These muscles are often pretty rounded at the central location and have tapered-off sides. These muscles are not striated and have a uniform appearance. Smooth muscles are involuntary muscles. This means human beings are not able to control the movement of these muscles.

Cardiac Muscle: Muscles of the Heart 

As the name suggests, cardiac muscle is the muscle for your heart. The main characteristic of this muscle is to make the heart function and beat properly. Hence, the name myocardium is also used to refer to this type of muscle. There are 2 tissue layers above and beneath the myocardium. The inner lining of tissue is known as the endocardium and the protective sac is known as the pericardium. The cardiac muscles are also some of the most important muscles of the body since these help in keeping the heart functioning. The cardiac muscles are also involuntary. 

Function of the Muscles of the Body 

One of the main functions of the muscles is to facilitate movement. Muscles are the singular tissue type in the human body that can contract and hence help in the movement of the body parts. The second function of the muscular system is closely related to the first one. The different skeletal muscles of the body tend to help with the maintenance of body position and posture. Muscles contract to hold a body in a still and particular position rather than causing the movement. So, the muscles which control the posture of the body tend to have very high endurance when compared to the other muscles. These muscles function by holding the body in a specific posture the entire day. Another main function of the muscular system is that of the smooth and the cardiac muscles of the body which is the transportation of food and blood from one place in the body to another.

Conclusion 

This article above tells the students about the different muscles of the body. By carefully studying the information about bones and muscles of the body, students can be more familiar with the topic.