The Characteristics Of Muscles In The Human Body

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Muscles come in all shapes and sizes and around 700 of them call the human body their home. This human body system is responsible for both conscious and unconscious movement. Muscles help make up almost every area of the human body and enable us to do many, if not most, of our daily routines. About half of our weight is due to muscle mass. Each one is made up of nerves, skeletal muscle tissue, blood vessels, and tendons. As we age, a variety of problems can arise as our muscles get older and older. However, there are certain things we can do currently that will help improve our future muscular health.
Muscles play a huge role in our lives every day. They help keep the body strong and enable it to move freely. Without muscles we wouldn’t be able to do many of the activities we love like walking the dog, playing sports, and dancing. Having strong muscles also helps keep the body’s joints strong as well. For example, if the muscles around a knee become weak, that knee joint will become more susceptible to injury. Strong and healthy muscles, in addition, can help the body balances. This way, falls and slips are less likely. …show more content…

First is contractility, the ability to contract or shorten in length. This causes increased tension between the ends of the muscle. Because of contractility, the length of muscles can decrease, increase, or stay the same. Next is extensibility, meaning that muscles have the ability to stretch when pulled. They are able to react positively to a force. Muscles also respond to stimuli like nerve impulses, a characteristic is known as excitability. Stimuli, whether external or internal cause muscles to contract. Last is elasticity. Muscles are said to have elasticity because they return to original size and shape after being extended or

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