Muscles Flashcards
What is contractibility
Ability of muscle to shorten with force
What is excitability
Capacity of muscle to respond to a stimulus
What is extensibility
Muscle can be stretched to its normal resting lengths and beyond to a limited degree
What is elasticity
Ability of muscle to recoil to original resting length after stretched
What are the three types of muscle
Cardiac
Skeletal
Smooth
What is fascia
A connective tissue structure that surrounds muscles, groups of muscles, blood vessels, and nerves. It binds some structures together, while permitting others to slide smoothly over each other.
What is a myotendinous junction
Where tendon forms attachment to muscle
What is a osteotendinous junction
Connection between tendon and bone
What is tendon sheath
Layer of synovial membrane around the tendon which allows the tendon to stretch and not adhere to surrounding fascia
Describe the ways a muscle contraction can be stopped
Energy system fatigue - no more ATP left so muscle can’t keep contracting
Nervous system fatigue - nervous system unable to create impulses quickly enough to maintain stimulus and cause calcium to be released
Voluntary nervous control - nerve telling muscle to contract stops sending the signal because the brain tells it to
Involuntary nervous system control
Describe muscle spindles
Stretch receptors that detect length of muscle and speed of stretching and inform CNS
Describe Golgi tendon organs
Nerve fibres between the tendon detect changes in muscle tension
Define muscle tone
Muscles are always slightly contracted due to spinal reflexes, keeps muscles firm, healthy and ready
Define isotonic contraction
Change in muscle length
Define concentric contraction
Muscle shortens
