Muscle Types: Skeletal, Smooth, and Cardiac
Dr . Ayesha
Muscle Types: Skeletal, Smooth, and Cardiac
1.Skeletal Muscle:
• Function:
Responsible for producing voluntary movements of
the skeleton.
• Composition:
Comprised of striated muscle fibers.
• Action:
• Can act as agonists, antagonists, fixators, or synergists.
• Nerve Supply:
• Mixed nerve trunks with motor, sensory, and autonomic fibers.
• Naming:
• Based on shape, size, attachments, or actions.
2. Smooth Muscle:
Function:
• Regulates involuntary movements in various organs.
Composition:
• Long, spindle-shaped cells in bundles or sheets.
Locations:
• Found in digestive system, urinary bladder, uterus, and blood vessels.
Contraction:
• Stimulated by stretching, nerve impulses, or hormones.
• Propulsion: Utilizes peristalsis for movement.
3. Cardiac Muscle:
•
Function:
• Forms myocardium, responsible for rhythmic pumping of blood.
• Composition:
• Striated muscle fibers branching and uniting.
• Contraction:
• Exhibits spontaneous rhythmic contractions.
• Nerve Supply:
• Autonomic nerve fibers, including specialized conducting system.
• Muscle Tone:
• Significance:
Crucial in neurological assessment.
• Flaccidity:
Indicates nerve interruption in reflex arc.
• Hypertonicity:
Suggests lesions in higher motor neurons.
• Muscle Attachments:
• Importance:
Essential for understanding muscle actions.
• Knowledge Requirement:
Clinicians must know major muscle attachments.
• Muscle Shape and Form:
• Atrophy:
Occurs in paralyzed or unused muscles.
• Comparison:
Useful for assessment and diagnosis.
• Implications:
Immobilization leads to rapid muscle changes.
• Cardiac Muscle Necrosis:
• Cause:
• Blockage of coronary arteries
leading to ischemia.
• Consequences:
• Can result in myocardial
infarction and potential patient
death if not promptly treated.
