CHARACTERISTICS OF SKELETAL MUSCLES
The four major functional characteristics of skeletal muscle are:
Contractility – The ability to shorten which causes movement of the structures to which the muscles are attached.
Excitability – The ability to respond or contract in response to chemical and/or electrical signals.
Extensibility – The capacity to stretch to the normal resting length after contracting
Elasticity – The ability to return to the original resting length after a muscle has been stretched.
Functions of Muscles:
- Movement: Skeletal muscles move bones by pulling on them and work together to produce smooth movements of our limbs. Mobility is your muscular system’s simplest and most crucial function. Your skeletal muscles are largely responsible for the movements and motions you make. Skeletal muscles are attached to your bones.
- Maintaining posture, muscle tone, and Stabilizing joints: Skeletal muscles also control posture, from your head down to your toes. Flexibility and strength are keys to maintaining proper posture. Stiff neck muscles, weak back muscles, and tight hip muscles, among other ailments, can throw off your alignment.
- Producing Heat & Temperature Regulation: most of the heat required for this is produced by muscles, which generate heat as they contract. Skeletal muscle accounts for at least 40% of body mass and is the muscle type responsible for generating most body heat.
- Circulation: The involuntary cardiac and smooth muscles help your heart beat and blood flow through your body. The cardiac muscle, known as the myocardium, is found in the walls of the heart. The cardiac muscle is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for most bodily functions.