GOINDIS NATUROPATHY TRUST(INDIA)
Charity Registration No.845/4 dated 03.09.2003
THE MUSCULAR SYSTEM
SANTOKH SINGH PARMAR
FOUNDER TRUSTEES:
Satyendra Singh Goindi, MSc, LLB, ND
Gurkirpal Kaur Goindi, BA, BEd, DPE, ND
Santokh Singh Parmar, B Arch, Dip TP, Dip LA, MRTPI, AITP, AIIA
Devinder Singh Saroya, PCS
Gurmukh Singh Girn, MSc, MCRP, AITP
9 THE muscular System
What is Muscular System?
9.1 Your muscular system enables your body to move. Each muscle consists of muscle cells that can contract or relax. Because muscle cells are usually long and slender, they are called fibres. Skeletal muscles move your bones and help protect your inner organs. Smooth muscles deep within your body help move food, air, and body fluids. Cardiac muscle is a special type of muscle found only in your heart. Your body has more than 600 muscles, which make up about 30 percent of the female body and about 40 percent of the male body.
Skeletal Muscles
9.2 Muscles attached to bones are called skeletal muscles. They are also called “voluntary” muscles because a person can choose whether to move them. In addition to muscle fibres, skeletal muscles contain connective tissue, nerves, and blood vessels. Each muscle is surrounded by a fibrous membrane. At one end of the muscle, the fibres of this membrane connect with a tough band of elastic tissue called a tendon. Tendons connect most skeletal muscles to bones.
Smooth and Cardiac Muscles
9.3 Smooth muscles are found in internal organs, such as the stomach, intestines, urinary bladder, uterus, and blood vessels. Unlike skeletal muscles, which can be contracted voluntarily, smooth muscles are involuntary. Smooth muscles are responsible for the contractions of the esophagus and the intestines called peristalsis. Smooth muscles are also responsible for the contractions of labour during childbirth. Cardiac muscle fibres are strong like skeletal muscles, but the heart is an involuntary muscle. The contraction and relaxation of cardiac muscle fibres pumps blood through the body automatically and rhythmically.
Muscle Action
9.4 Muscle fibres respond to nerve impulses by contracting. When enough nerve impulses are received, the entire muscle contracts and pulls any attached tissue along with it, resulting in movement of that tissue. Skeletal muscles often work in pairs to bend and straighten joints. The biceps and triceps muscles move the arms at the elbow. Contracting the biceps muscle pulls upward on one of the bones of the lower arm, causing the arm to bend. When the biceps relaxes and the triceps contracts, the arms is pulled in the opposite direction. Even the simplest body movements involve the coordination of many muscles. For example, it takes 13 muscles to smile and 34 muscles to frown.
Common Muscle Problems
9.5 Considering that muscles are used every time you move, it is not surprising that muscle injuries are common. Although regular exercise preceded by a proper warm-up reduces the risk of muscle injury, it can still occur – especially when a person ignores his or her limitations. Charley horses and pulled hamstrings are common jogging-related injuries. A charley horse is a painful contusion, or bruising, of the muscle and is frequently accompanied by a tear in muscle fibres. A pulled hamstring is an overextension or strain of one of the muscles in the back or the thigh. Inflammation of the flexor muscles of the front portion of the lower leg causes another common condition, known as shin splints. A muscular cramp is a prolonged and painful involuntary muscular contraction. A spasm is a brief, involuntary contraction. The exact cause of muscle cramps and spasms is unknown. Experts suggest that they may result from several causes: insufficient oxygen, calcium, or magnesium; fatigue; or various drugs. Tendinitis is the inflammation of the connective tissue surrounding a tendon.
Why does Muscular Fatigue develop?
9.6 The causes of muscular fatigue are not well understood. One explanation is that when muscles contract they produce lactic acid. Lactic acid creates an environment in which muscles are not able to respond to stimulation. However, new research indicates that there are other contributing factors, such as depletion of stored energy and muscle glycogen, inadequate blood flow to the muscles, and low oxygen levels. Well-conditioned athletes experience less muscle fatigue. It is known that they accumulate less lactic acid in their muscles and that conditioning actually increases the capillary density of the skeletal muscles, increasing blood flow.
Why does Weight Training make a Person look Muscular?
9.7 Muscles develop differently depending on the type of exercise they receive. For example, when a muscle is contracted moderately but repeatedly, as in swimming, it develops new capillaries and some increased strength. When a muscle is contracted in short, forceful actions, as in weightlifting, the muscle fibres increase in diameter and the entire muscle enlarges more than in repeated, moderate activity. This form of exercise increases the strength of the muscle, but a weight lifter wil not have the endurance of a swimmer.
What does it mean if a Person has Temporomandibalar Joint Syndrome (TMJ)?
9.8 Stress or a poor bite (malocclusion of the teeth) can cause some people to clench their jaw, especially in their sleep. Contracting the jaw muscles in this way causes pressure on the temporomandibular joint located in the jaw just below the ear. This can result in headaches, earaches, or pain in the jaw, neck, or shoulder. This condition is called temporomandibular joint syndrome, or TMJ. Stress management and dental splints are often prescribed for sufferers of TMJ.
Santokh Singh Parmar
Naturo-Food Therapist & Lifestyle Consultant
Mobile: +91(0) 9815922330
Websites: www.naturofoodtherapy.org & www.foodtherapy.org
Note: The above information and advice and indicative remedies are not a substitute for the advice, your doctor or naturo-food therapist may give you based on his/her knowledge of yourself.