LARKANA INSTITUTE OF NURSING

AND ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES

Unit-6 Muscular
System
Muhammad Yamin
Nursing Instructor

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 Objectives
At the completion of this lecture, Students will be able to:
 Define the terms fascia, epimysium perimysium, endomysium,
tendons and aponeurosis
 Describe the location and function of major muscles of:
• The neck

• The face

• The back

• The arms

• The legs
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 Myology
 Myology: it is the study of muscles.
 Muscles are attached to bones, cartilage, ligaments and to
skin.
 Attaching points of muscles called origin and insertion.
 The attachment of mucsle’s tendon to the stationary bone is
called the origin.
 The attachment of mucsle’s other tendon to the movable
bone is called the insertion.
 Fixed point of muscle is called origin (muscles arise)
 Moveable point of muscle is called insertion (muscles posses).
 The fleshy part of muscle between the tendon is called the belly (Body)

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Origin and insertion point of muscle

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 Facts About Muscles
 Muscles occupy half of body weight about 40%.
 There are about 600 muscles in the human
body.
 Muscles are Consists of muscular tissue
 Muscles contain connective tissue, nerves and blood
vessels.
 Skeletal Muscles: Attached to bones,
responsible for movement and posture.
 Smooth Muscles: Found in the walls of
internal organs, like the stomach and
intestines, and blood vessels.
 Cardiac Muscle: Found only in the walls of
heart, responsible for pumping blood
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Fascia

A sheet of connective
tissue Separates
neighboring
muscles/groups of
muscles.
Muscles are grouped
in compartments
Separated from each
other by fascia.

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Fascia
 Epimysium
• A fibrous sheath Surrounds the entire muscle.
• It surrounds Outer surface,
• Epimysium is a dense irregular connective tissue.
• It separate muscles from surrounding tissues and
organs.
• The Epimysium grades into the fascia and Inner
surface, issues projections b/w fascicles to form
the perimysium.

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 Perimysium
 Thicker connective sheath
 Wraps muscles fibers together in bundles called fascicles.
 Fascicles visible to naked eye as parallel strands.
 By pulling: fascicles separated.
 Perimysium carries larger nerves and blood vessels and
receptors
 Receptors called muscles spindles.

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 Endomysium
Thin sleeve of loose connective tissue
Surrounds each muscles fiber.
Creates room for blood capillaries and nerve
fibers to reach every muscles.
Confirming that no muscle cell is without
stimulation and nourishment.
Provide extracellular chemical environment.
Associated nerve ending.

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 Continue
• Excitation is based exchange of calcium, sodium, and
potassium ions between endomysial tissue fluid and the
nerve and muscles fibers.
• Aponeurosis: An aponeurosis is a thin sheath of
connective tissue that helps connect muscles to bones.
• Aponeurosis are similar to tendons.

• They support muscles and give body strength and

stability.

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 Aponeurosis

 It is a thick fascia that

connects two muscle bellies.
 For example The epicranial
aponeurosis connect the
muscle bellies of the
occpitalis and frontalis to
form one muscle known as
Occipitofrontalis.

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 Functions Of Muscles

Through contraction and relaxation Muscular tissue has

following key functions:

1. Producing body Movements.

2. Stabilizing body positions

3. Control of body openings and passages.

4. Heat production ( Thermogenesis)

5. Glycemic control: Skeletal muscles play crucial role in

glucose maintenance.
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 Movement

 Move from place to place such as walking and running.

 Move body parts such as nodding of head as a result of
muscular contraction.
 Move body contents e.g. breathing, blood circulation,
feeding, digestion, defecation, urination and childbirth.
 Roles in communication such as speech, writing, facial
expression and other body language.

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 Stability

Maintain body position such as standing or sitting.

Maintain body posture.
Prevent unwanted movements
Stabilize joints by maintaining tension on tendons
and bones.

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 Control of body openings and passages

 Mouth (speech and food)

 Eyelid and pupil (regulate the entrance of light in eye.
 Internal muscular rings control movement of food, bile, &
blood.
 Muscles encircling the urethra and anus control of
elimination of waste.
 Skeletal muscle contractions promote the flow of lymph
and aid the return of blood in veins to the heart.

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 Continue
 Heat production: produce 85% heat.
• Heat production is Vital for the functioning of enzymes and
all metabolism.
 Glycemic control:
• Muscles regulate of blood glucose.
• Skeletal muscles absorb, store and use a large amount.

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 MUSCLES GROUPED ACCORDING TO
FUNCTIONS

1. Flexor muscles:
 Decrease angle of joint (legs and arms) E.g Flexor carpi
radialis.

2. Extensor muscles:
 Increase the angle of joint E.g Extensor carpi Ulnaris.
 Extension is performed by muscle attached to auxiliary
border of scapula.

20
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Cont…
3. Abductor muscles:
 Move the bone away from midline e.g. deltoid muscle,
Abductor pollicis longus of forearm

4. Adductor muscles:
 Move towards the midline. Muscles of thigh, which
draw the leg together. E.g Adductor longus, Adductor
magnus

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Cont…
5. Rotator muscles:
 Rotate bone around longitudinal axis.
 Cause circular movement
 These muscles are found in Neck, thumbs, arms and legs.

6. Levator Muscles:
 These muscles raise or elevate body part. E.g Levator
Scapulae

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Cont…

7. Supinator Muscles:
These muscles turn palm anteriorly E.g Supinator

8. Pronator Muscles:
Turns Palm posteriorly E.g Pronator teres.

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 CHIEF MUSCLES OF THE BODY
Muscles of the face and neck:
1. Occipito-frontalis:
 It is made up of two parts
 An anterior part is called frontal belly ( frontalis) which is
superficial over frontal bone, the action of this muscle is to
raise the eyebrow.
 The posterior part is called the occipital belly (occipitalis)
which lies on the occipital bone.
2. Orbicularis Oculi:
• The muscle surrounds the eye, eyelids and the area
immediately around the orbital cavity.
• The function of it to close the eye.

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Muscles of Head , face and neck
Continue
3. Buccinators muscles:
 This is flat muscle of the neck.
 It forms the major muscular portion of the cheeks.
 The duct of parotid gland passes through buccinator
muscle to reach oral cavity.
 Its action is to draw the cheek inward.
 It helps in chewing and to expel air from mouth.

4. Orbicularis Oris:
i. This is circular muscle which surrounds the mouth. Its
action is to close the lips.

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Continue
5. Massetor muscles:
 Broad muscle, extends from zygomatic arch to draw its
action, which gives the pressure on food chewing.
 Massetor is the strongest muscle of mestication.

6. Temporalis muscles:
 This muscle is a shape like a fan covering the temporal
bone.
 Its action is to assist in closing the mouth.

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Continue
7. Sternomastoid muscle (Sternocleidomastoid muscle):
 This muscle rises from manubrium of the sternum and
clavicle, it extends upward to the mastoid process, it
assists in turning the head from side to side.

8. Trapezius muscles:
 A broad flat muscle covers the shoulder and upper part of
the back of neck.
 The action of muscles is to pull the head backward and
controlling the movement of scapula when the shoulder
joint is in use.
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 Muscles of the back:
1. Latissimus Doris:
 Broad flat muscles covering the lower part of the chest, it
origins from lower dorsal vertebrae and insert in bicipital
groove of humerus.
 Its action is to draw the humerus down and back.

2. Erector Spine muscles:

 These are the deep muscles of back lying in groove.
 They are present in each side of vertebral column.
 These help in extending spine and keep trunk erect.
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 Muscles of the chest

1. Pectoralis major muscles:

 It forms the anterior part of axillary’s origin, from front
part of sternum and side and insert in bicipital groove
of the humerus.
 It helps to abduct arm and carries it across the front of
chest.

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Cont…
2. Intercostal Muscles
 These muscles are involved in breathing, they are arranged
in three layers
 Only two of which are discussed.

1. External intercostal muscles

 There are eleven pairs of external intercostal muscles, these
occupy superficial layer.
 There fibres run in an oblique direction interiorly and
anteriorly from the rib above to the rib below
 They elevate the rib during inhalation.

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Continue
2. Internal intercostal Muscles:

There are 11 pairs of internal intercostal muscles which

occupy the intermediate layer of the intercostal spaces.

Fibres of these muscles run at right angles to the external

intercostal in oblique direction interiorly and posteriorly

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Continue
3. The diaphragm:
 It is dome shaped muscle separating the thoracic cavity
from the abdominal cavity.
 It forms the floor of the thoracic cavity and roof of the
abdominal cavity.
 It is most important muscle that powers breathing.
 Diaphragm has three major openings through which
various structures pass between the thorax and abdomen

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 Muscles of the abdomen

1. Rectus abdominis:
 Along flat muscles down the front of abdomen from the
sternum to pubis on either of midline.
 It flexes the spine as in bowing.
 It supports the viscera.

2. External oblique muscles:

 It is the superficial muscles
 Fibers running obliquely from lower rib to the iliac
crest.
 It flexes and rexes the trunk.

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 Continue
3. Internal oblique muscles:
 Position is same as external oblique muscles, it means
running obliquely from lower rib to the iliac crest but fibers
run in opposite direction.
 It assists the external oblique muscles.

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Continue
4. Linea alba:
 A line of tendon along the midline of abdomen from
xiphoid cartilage to the pubis.
 It separates the two rectus muscles.
 It is interrupted by a umbilicus in the fetus, the orifice
close a few days after birth.

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 Muscles of arm

1. Bicep muscles:
 Bicep is called because it has two heads.
 It runs down the front of arm.
 It arises by two heads one from the glenoid cavity and
other runs from the coracoid process of scapula and is
inserted into radial tuberosity in the forearm.
 It flexes the elbow and also to the shoulder.

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Muscles of arm
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Continue

2. Triceps muscles:
 It means, it has three heads.
 It lies at the back of arm.
 It arises from the head, one from scapula and two heads
from the humerus and is inserted into the olecranion
process of ulna.
 It extends both elbow and shoulder.

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Continue
3. Deltoid muscles:
 It is triangular in shape.
 It lies over the shoulder.
 Its origin is from the clavicle to the acromion process
and spine of scapula and is inserted into the deltoid
tuberosity of humerus.
 Its action is to abduct the shoulder.

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 Muscles of leg
1. Gluteal muscles:
 It forms the buttocks running from the ilium and inserting
into the greater trochanter of the femur.
 It extends the hip joint and also abducts laterally and rotates
the hip.
2. Quadriceps muscles:
 The quadriceps muscles are so called because it has four
heads, origin from ilium and inserting into the patella,
through which it joints to tibia by the patellar ligament.
 It helps in extension of knee and flexion of the hip, it also
used in standing and powerful action of kicking.

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Continue
3. Hamstrings muscles:
 It is flexor muscles of the knee and is named so because it
is strong tendon (strings) on either side of popliteal space.
 It also helps in flexion of knee and extension of the hip.

4. Abductor muscles:
 It lies at inner side of the thigh; origin is from the pubis
and ischium and inserting into the linea aspera of the
femur and middle epicondyle.
 It abducts to hip.
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 References
1. Tortora, J., Derrickson, B. (2006). Principles of Anatomy
and Physiology. (11th ED). USA: John Wisely & Sons ,
Inc.

2. Anatomy and physiology: the unity of form and function,

Kenneth S. Saladin, eighth edition.

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Quote of the day