Muscles: Why are they important?

Muscles and nerve fibers allow a person to move their body and enable the internal organs to function. There are more than 600 muscles in the human body. People also have different types of muscle.

A kind of elastic tissue makes up each muscle, which consists of thousands, or tens of thousands, of small muscle fibers. Each fiber comprises many tiny strands called fibrils.

Impulses from nerve cells control the contraction of each muscle fiber. A muscle’s strength depends mainly on how many fibers are present.

To fuel a muscle, the body makes adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which muscle cells turn into mechanical energy.

Types of muscle

The body has over 600 muscles.

Humans and other vertebrates have three types Trusted Source of muscle: skeletal, smooth, and cardiac.

Skeletal muscles

Skeletal muscles move the external parts of the body and the limbs. They cover the bones and give the body its shape.

As skeletal muscles only pull in one direction, they work in pairs. When one muscle in the pair contracts, the other expands, and this facilitates movement.

The muscles attach to strong tendons, which either attach to or directly connect with the bones. The tendons extend over the joints, and this helps keep the joints stable. A person in good health can consciously control their skeletal muscles.

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