Muscular Anatomy Flashcards
Muscle Fiber
The term used to describe the thousands of elongated, rod-shaped muscles cells that make up skeletal muscle.
Sarcomere
The basic unit of muscular contraction, which is composed of two types of protein: actin and myosin.
Concentric contraction
A muscular contraction that involves the shortening of a muscle against a load.
Eccentric contraction
A muscular contraction that occurs as a muscle lengthens with a force or load.
central nervous system
Composed of the brain and spinal cord.
peripheral nervous system
part of the nervous system that lies outside the brain and spinal cord and is made up of nerves that connect the extremities to the brain.
proprioceptors
specialized sensory receptors found in joints, muscles, and tendons that respond to stimuli produced within the body, allowing maintenance or adjustment of the relative position of the body.
motor unit
Composed of a muscle fiber and a motor neuron, the motor unit is the group of muscle fibers that contracts when the associated motor neuron is stimulated.
fast-twitch muscle fiber
The muscle fibers that perform quick and intense contractions. These muscle fibers contract quickly, fatigue quickly, and work anaerobically.
slow-twitch muscle fiber
The muscle fibers that perform slow and controlled muscle contractions. These fibers contract slowly, are resistant to fatigue, and work aerobically.
prime mover
The muscle that provides the initial and primary source of a movement.
Antagonist
Muscle that performs the opposite movement to the primary mover. Antagonist muscles act to stop or slow the moving muscle, assisting in a controlled movement.
Muscular strength
The maximum amount of force that a muscle or muscle group can generate against a force or load.
Muscular power
The product of the strength and speed of movement that a muscle can produce. Muscular power is described in terms of explosive muscular contraction.
muscular endurance
The ability of a muscle to exert or withstand force repreatedly over a period of time.
