muscle and fascia brief overview

Skeletal muscle

Voluntary and striated

Cardiac muscle

Involuntary, striated, and found in the heart

Smooth muscle

Involuntary, unstriated, and found in hollow organs and blood vessels

Origin

Fixed attachment, usually more proximal

Insertion

Moving attachment, usually more distal

Action

Movement created by a muscle

Innervation

Nerve that supplies a muscle

Prime mover or agonist

Main muscle doing the movement

Synergist

Helps the prime mover

Fixator

Stabilizes during movement

Antagonist

Opposes the movement

Direct muscle attachment

Muscle fibers attach directly to periosteum

Tendon

Rope or cord connecting muscle to bone

Aponeurosis

Flat sheet connecting muscle to bone

Raphe

Muscle fibers weave together

Fusiform

Thick middle with tapered ends

Unipennate

Fibers on one side of a tendon

Bipennate

Fibers on both sides of a tendon

Multipennate

Fibers arranged in multiple directions

Circular muscle

Fibers arranged in a circle

Quadrate

Square shaped muscle

Composite muscle

Innervated by more than one nerve

Fascia

Connective tissue that covers, connects, and separates structures

Superficial fascia

Loose connective tissue and fat beneath the skin

Deep fascia

Dense tough fascia that separates muscle compartments

Visceral fascia

Wraps internal organs and allows them to move

Main functions of fascia

Supports and organizes structures and allows smooth movement