What is the Function of the Muscular System?
Muscles in the body help in the movement of parts of human body. Muscle tissues play a vital role in maintaining the posture of human body. Another important function of muscular system is that few muscle tissues transport blood and nutrients to body parts. A person with strong muscles can stay untired throughout the day. Muscles are attached to the bones, muscles constitute about half of a human’s weight. All the organs in human body like heart, brain are made up of muscle tissues and blood vessels. Let us now discuss about the muscular system anatomy and functions of muscles. There are mainly three different types of muscle tissues.
Cardiac Muscle
Cardiac muscle is present in the heart. Cardiac muscle involves in the process of pumping of blood by heart. As this is an involuntary action, the cardiac muscle is called involuntary muscles. Unlike in other organs like brain there is no presence of hormones, cardiac muscle expands and contracts on its own. Cardiac muscle actions are controlled intrinsically. Cardiac cells are made up of large number of cells with protein fibres. Cardiac muscle tissues are very strong. Heart has to pump blood to all parts of the body throughout the lifetime of a human being. Hence in order to avoid any strain, these cardiac muscle tissues are structured in the form of branches. Finger like projections are also present in the cells which maintain a strong bond in between the cells.
Skeletal Muscle
The skeletal muscle is a voluntary muscle in humans. It is controlled intentionally. When a human performs actions like walking, reading or talking, voluntary actions of skeletal muscles are involved. Skeleton is made up of bones; muscle tissues are associated with bones. Muscles and bones together contribute to the voluntary movements in humans. When a body part is moved close to the body, the muscle attached to the bone contracts. When a body part is moved away from the body, the muscle tissues expand. Similar to cardiac muscle, skeletal muscle is also very strong. As limbs of human body have to perform heavy duties like lifting weights, skeletal muscles are very strong.
Visceral Muscle
Viscera muscles are present in the internal organs especially in the abdominal cavity. Stomach, abdomen, intestines are made up of visceral muscle tissues. When compared to cardiac or skeletal muscles, visceral muscle is weak. This is also an involuntary muscle controlled by brain. When observed with a microscope, the structure of visceral muscle is very uniform.