Structure and function of the muscular system

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Structure & Function of the Muscular System

Task One

The human body contains more than 650 individual muscles which are attached to the skeleton. This provides the pulling power for us to move around. The main job of the muscular system is to provide movement for the body. The muscular system is split into 3 categories of muscle tissue - skeletal, smooth and cardiac. Each different tissue has the ability to contract, this allows the body's movements and functions. There are two types of muscles involuntary which contract and relax automatically inside your body. These cannot be controlled. Then there is voluntary muscles which are muscles that can move whenever you want. Heart or cardiac muscle is an example of an involuntary muscle.

Cardiac Muscle

The cardiac muscle is the muscle of the heart. It is the tissue that makes up the wall of the heart called the myocardium. Like the skeletal muscles, the cardiac muscle is striated and contracts through the sliding filament method. But the cardiac muscle is different from other types of muscles because it forms branching fibres. Unlike the skeletal muscles, the cardiac muscle is attached together instead of bone. The