Anatomy and Physiology / Unit 5: The Muscular System
5.1 Muscle Types and Functions
Notes
Muscle tissue is specialized for contraction. The three types are skeletal, cardiac and smooth (see Unit 2 for their features).
- Properties: excitability (respond to stimuli), contractility (shorten), extensibility (stretch) and elasticity (recoil).
- Functions: produce movement, maintain posture, stabilize joints, generate heat (shivering and metabolism) and move substances.
- Connective tissue wraps muscle: endomysium around each fiber, perimysium around a bundle (fascicle), epimysium around the whole muscle. The wraps merge into a tendon.
- Example: when you are cold, skeletal muscles contract rapidly (shiver) and generate heat.
Practice
Which muscle property allows it to return to its resting length after being stretched?
Elasticity is recoil. Extensibility is the ability to be stretched.
The connective tissue that surrounds a whole muscle is the:
Epimysium covers the whole muscle, perimysium covers fascicles and endomysium covers each fiber.
Which function of skeletal muscle is directly related to maintaining body temperature?
Muscle activity releases heat, as in shivering.
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