Musclesinsertion

insertion

the point where a muscle attaches to a bone, allowing for movement when the muscle contracts.

Origin

the point where a muscle attaches to a stationary bone, providing leverage for movement.

Prime mover

the muscle responsible for the majority of a specific movement during an action.

Antagonist

a muscle that opposes the action of another muscle, helping to control movement and maintain balance.

Synergist

a muscle that assists the prime mover in performing a specific action, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the movement.

Fixator

a muscle that stabilizes joints and maintains posture during movement, allowing the prime mover to function effectively.

Myrofibrils

the contractile threads found in striated muscle cells, composed of sarcomeres that facilitate muscle contraction.

Myofilaments

the individual protein strands, actin and myosin, that make up myofibrils and are responsible for muscle contraction.

Scaromeres

the basic structural and functional units of striated muscle fibers, composed of actin and myosin filaments that contract to produce muscle movement.

Muscle fibers

the long, multinucleated cells that make up skeletal muscle tissue, responsible for contraction and movement.

Fascicles

bundles of muscle fibers that are surrounded by connective tissue, contributing to the structure and function of skeletal muscles.

Epimysium

the outer layer of connective tissue that surrounds an entire muscle, providing protection and structural support.

Perimysioum

the connective tissue that surrounds individual fascicles within a muscle, helping to organize and support the muscle fibers.

Endomsyium

the connective tissue that surrounds individual muscle fibers within a fascicle, providing support and helping to maintain the structure of the muscle.

Resting membrane potential

potential is the electrical charge difference across the plasma membrane of a resting muscle cell, essential for initiating muscle contraction.

action potential

is a rapid change in electrical membrane potential that occurs when a muscle cell is stimulated, leading to muscle contraction.

neruomuscular

junction is the synapse between a motor neuron and a muscle fiber, facilitating the transmission of signals that trigger muscle contraction.

junction

where nerve impulses are transmitted.

Motor unit

is the functional unit of muscle contraction, consisting of a motor neuron and all the muscle fibers it innervates.

Twitch

is a brief contraction of a muscle fiber in response to a single stimulus.

graded muscle

contraction is a type of muscle contraction that varies in strength and is produced by increasing the number of active motor units.

contraction

is the process of muscle fibers shortening and generating force.

summation

is the process where multiple stimuli are applied to a muscle fiber in rapid succession, leading to an increase in the strength of contraction.

Tetanus

is a sustained muscle contraction that occurs when stimuli are applied at a high frequency, preventing relaxation between contractions.

Recruitment

is the process of activating additional motor units to increase the strength of muscle contraction.

Threshold stimulus

is the minimum level of stimulation required to trigger a muscle contraction.

Muscle tone

is the continuous and passive partial contraction of the muscles, which helps maintain posture and ensures readiness for action.

muscle tension

refers to the force generated by a muscle when it contracts, which can vary based on the number of active motor units and the frequency of stimulation.

muscle fatigue

is the decline in ability of a muscle to generate force after prolonged activity, often resulting from depletion of energy sources or accumulation of metabolic byproducts.

lever

is a rigid bar that pivots around a fixed point (fulcrum) to amplify force or movement, commonly used in biomechanics to understand muscle function.

fulcrum

the fixed point around which a lever rotates, allowing for the application of force to lift or move an object.

effort

is the force applied to a lever to overcome resistance and produce movement.