Muscular System Review

What are the three types of muscles, and what is the function of each? Which ones are voluntary?

1. Cardiac muscle forms the walls of the heart. When is contracts, this type of muscle causes the heart to beat to circulate blood. 2. Visceral, or smooth muscle is found in hollow organs in the walls of blood vessels, and in the eyes. It contracts to produce movement in these organs. 3. Skeletal muscle is attached to the bones. It helps produce body movement. Most skeletal muscles are voluntary.

What is muscular dystrophy? What are the symptoms and treatment?

Muscular dystrophy refers to a group of inherited diseases in which the muscles gradually atrophy, or waste away. Symptoms include painless, progressive muscle weakness. Treatment to slow the progress of the disease involves medication, physical therapy, and corrective surgery.

What are the four common traits of all muscles? What is muscle tone?

The four common traits of all muscles are Excitability or Irritability, contractibility, extensibility, and elasticity. Muscle tone refers to the ability of muscles to be slightly contracted at all times, even when not in use. It allows a person to be in a state of readiness to act.

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 through the body, and opens and closes body openings.

What is the anatomical make-up of each muscle type?

A. Skeletal - Under a microscope, skeletal muscles have alternating light and dark bands. The light band has a darker area called the Z disc and the dark band has a lighter area called the H zone, or bare zone. These bands give the muscle cell its striped appearance. B. Visceral - This muscle shows no cross stripes under microscope magnification. It consists of narrow, spindle-shaped cells with a single, centrally located nucleus. Smooth muscle tissue, unlike striated muscle, contracts slowly and automatically. It makes up much of the musculature of internal organs and the digestive system. C. Cardiac - Like skeletal muscle cells, cardiac muscle cells are striated with narrow dark and light bands. However, cardiac muscle cells are narrower and much shorter than skeletal muscle cells. Cardiac muscle cells are often branched and contain one or more nuclei. Their branched ends fit together tightly, which is not seen in skeletal muscle.

What is atrophy? What is contracture?

Atrophy is a reduction in size and strength of the muscle. Contracture is a severe tightening of muscle resulting in permanent bending of a joint.

What is fibromyalgia? What are the causes, symptoms and treatment?

Fibromyalgia refers to a group of muscle disorders with chronic pain in specific muscle sites. It is affected by stress, the weather, and poor physical fitness .Treatment involves rest, reducing stress, exercise, massage, and medication to relax muscles and relieve pain.

What is muscle strain? What are the causes, symptoms and treatment?

Muscle strain is torn or stretched muscles or tendons. It is caused by muscle overuse or overstretching. Symptoms include pain, stiffness, and swelling. Treatment- rest, muscle relaxants, pain medication.