What are the characteristics of skeletal muscle

I believe many people are familiar with the name skeletal muscle. In fact, it is the muscle tissue attached to the human skeleton, which is what people often call muscle in daily life. All movements of the human body require skeletal muscle to provide, so skeletal muscle is also called a motor organ. So what are the characteristics of skeletal muscle that other human organs do not have? What are the properties of skeletal muscle?

First, what are the characteristics of skeletal muscle? Skeletal muscle consists of a thicker belly in the middle and thinner tendons (milky white) at both ends. The two ends of the same skeletal muscle are fixed on two different bones across the joint. Skeletal muscle has the characteristic of contracting when stimulated. When skeletal muscle contracts due to stimulation from nerves, it will move the bone it is attached to and move around the joint, so the body moves.

Second, skeletal muscle shortens to produce movement, and the force generated by contraction is pulling rather than pushing. However, certain special cases, such as the bulging of the eardrum to equalize air pressure on both sides of the ear during "pops in the ear", and the myovenous pump phenomenon, are related to the effect of the expansion of the muscle belly during muscle contraction. Most skeletal muscles move bones, but some muscles move other parts of the body such as the eyes, lips, and scalp. The orbicularis oris muscle surrounds the mouth and plays an important role in pronunciation and sucking. Although the tongue has no bones or joints and the hyoid bone only forms its base, it can still move.

What are the characteristics of skeletal muscle? According to the classification of motor units, prime movers are the main muscles that trigger specific movements of the body. Active contraction can produce intended movements; antagonists are muscles that oppose the movement of prime movers. When the prime mover contracts, the antagonist muscle gradually relaxes to ensure the smoothness of the movement process; when the prime mover passes through more than one joint, the contraction of the synergist muscles can prevent one (or some) of the joints from interfering with the movement of the prime mover. In short, the synergist muscles assist the prime mover in movement; the fixator muscles stabilize the proximal part of the limbs when movement occurs in the distal part of the limbs. Children and adolescents should pay attention to increasing physical exercise appropriately to improve the toughness of skeletal muscles throughout the body. Middle-aged and elderly people should exercise appropriately and try to do aerobic exercises such as swimming and Tai Chi without hurting their muscles.