Unit 7 Vocabulary: Muscular System

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and definitions related to the muscular system.

Muscle tissue

A type of tissue that generates force and allows the body to move.

Skeletal muscle tissue

Voluntary muscle that is usually attached to bone and helps us to move.

Smooth muscle tissue

Involuntary muscle found in the walls of hollow organs.

Cardiac muscle tissue

The major tissue of the heart.

Fascicle

A bundle of muscle fibers.

Irritability

The ability to respond to a stimulus.

Contractility

The ability to contract or shorten.

Extensibility

The ability to be stretched.

Elasticity

The ability of a material to spring back to its original shape after being stretched.

Peristalsis

A wave of symmetrical squeezing of the digestive tract walls during digestion.

Sarcomeres

Units composed of actin and myosin that contract inside the muscle fiber.

Motor neurone

A nerve that stimulates skeletal muscle tissue.

Motor unit

A single motor neuron and all of the muscle fibers that it stimulates.

Twitch

Involuntary muscle spasm caused by fatigue, caffeine, and electrolyte imbalances.

Synaptic cleft

A microscopic gap that separates axon terminals from other neurons or muscle fiber.

Origin

Muscle attachment to a relatively fixed structure.

Insertion

Muscle attachments to a bone that tends to move when the muscle contracts.

Muscle strain

An injury that occurs when a muscle is stretched beyond the limits to which it is accustomed.

Muscle cramps

Moderate to severe muscle spasms that cause pain.

Contusion

Bruises or bleeding within a muscle that result from an impact.

Tendinitis

Inflammation of a tendon, usually accompanied by pain and swelling.

Tendinosis

Degeneration of a tendon believed to be caused by micro tears in the tendon connective tissue.

Shin splint

Pain localized to the anterior lower leg.

Muscular dystrophy

A group of similar, inherited disorders characterized by progressively worsening muscle weakness and loss of muscle tissue.

Hernia

A balloon-like section of the lining of the abdominal cavity that protrudes through a hole or weakened section of the muscles in the abdomen.

Flexion

Forward movement of a body segment away from anatomical position in the sagittal plane.

Tetanus

A sustained, maximal level of muscle tension that occurs with high-frequency stimulation.

Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS)

Muscle pain that follows participation in a particularly long or strenuous activity, beginning 24-72 hours later, and involves multiple, microscopic tears in the muscle tissue that cause inflammation, pain, swelling, and stiffness.

Adduction

Movement of a body segment closer to the body in the frontal plane.

Abduction

Movement of a body segment away from the body in the frontal plane.