June 24, 2016

Muscle Spasms

What are the different types of muscle?

Muscles are complex structures that cause movement in the body. There are three types of muscle in the body:

  • Heart muscle pumps blood (cardiac muscle).
  • Skeletal muscle moves the external body parts, like the arms and legs, neck, back, trunk, and the face.
  • Smooth muscle moves portions of hollow structures inside the body. Examples include the muscles that line the esophagus, stomach, and intestines, muscles that line large arteries, and the muscles of the uterus.

What is skeletal muscle?

Skeletal muscles are anchored to bone, either directly or by a tendon. When the muscle contracts, the associated body part moves. This allows arms to lift, legs to run, and the face to smile. Most of these muscles are under willful or conscious control of the brain. This type of muscle is striated or striped with dark-colored muscle fibers containing large amounts of myoglobin, the protein that helps carry oxygen and light-colored fibers that have lesser amounts of the protein. The contraction of a skeletal muscle requires numerous steps within its fibers and cells. The nutrients required to produce energy, oxygen, electrolytes, and glucose are supplied by the bloodstream. Continue Reading

Reviewed on 4/21/2016
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