Importance of Muscles and Muscle Mass

The importance of muscles lies in that They are essential structures for movements to occur.. This is because they are made up of a series of fibrils capable of sliding over each other, allowing them to change their size by shortening or stretching.

These fibrils make up what is known as muscle mass, the greater the muscle mass, the greater the strength and resistance of the muscle.

There are three types of muscle in the body, striated muscle, smooth muscle, and cardiac muscle.

Striated muscles are the main muscles of the body.

They have as their main characteristic that can be moved at will.

Striated muscles are attached to bones, either by their ends (tendons) or, less commonly, along their entire length. When the muscle contracts it shortens, which causes the bones to move closer together. An example of this is when flexing the elbow. A muscle called the biceps is located on the front of the arm, it is inserted at its upper end into the upper arm bone called the humerus and lower part of the forearm bone known as

radio. When the biceps contracts, the forearm is brought closer to the arm, causing flexion of the elbow. In order for the forearm to extend again, the muscle located behind the arm called the triceps must be shortened, which has the opposite effect.

Thus we see that muscles are necessary for a number of important functions including:

– Execution of movements
– Maintain postures
- Keep the balance

Importance of smooth muscle

Smooth muscle is located in the viscera. Forms part of the wall of hollow organs and blood vessels, being necessary for the propulsion of the content located inside it to occur. These muscles act under the stimulus of the nervous system autonomous, so they cannot be controlled by will.

The smooth muscles at the level of the digestive system are responsible for the movements that allow the digestion of food and transport it on its way along the digestive tract.

In the respiratory system, together with structures called cilia, they contribute to the expulsion of secretions from the airway.

The urinary system also has muscle at the level of the tubular structures that act as a conduit for the transport of urine, as well as in the bladder. In the latter, smooth muscle contraction is important for can perform urination.

In the genital apparatus, muscular contraction is essential for ejaculation and childbirth.

The different sphincters located in the digestive and urinary systems are muscles. These are kept contracted to prevent the loss of their contents and are relaxed to facilitate their exit.

Another structure where smooth muscle plays an important role is in the wall of blood vessels. In fact, the loss of muscle tone in the veins is the main cause of the development of dilations known as varicose veins.

Importance of the heart muscle

The heart is made up of a special type of muscle known as cardiac muscle. It is a tissue capable of contracting continuously and permanently throughout the life, which requires a series of specific conditions to be able to fulfill this function.

As with smooth muscle, cardiac muscle acts under the influence of the autonomic nervous system, so its function cannot be controlled by will.

Image: Fotolia. Peter Hermes, High_Resolution