Facts about muscles How muscles work and how muscular problems develop
Facts about muscles
There are over 600 muscles in the body, which make up 40-50 percent of our total body weight.
We have three types of muscle: involuntary, cardiac and skeletal muscles known as voluntary muscles.
Involuntary muscles or smooth muscles are not under our conscious control, such as the digestive system and walls of blood and lymph vessels.
Cardiac muscles are found only in the heart. The heart tissue contains the sino-atrial node which keeps the beat of the heart regular. This rate is influenced by factors such as stress, illness, exercise and medication.
Skeletal muscle is muscle which generally we have under our control. Muscles control movement and are attached to bones at two points, the origin and the insertion. They consist of bundles of fibres which are enclosed in a sheath called the fascia.
Each separate muscle group should slide freely over the one next to it but injury can inhibit this.
More facts about muscles
Muscles are always under some tension unless we lose consciousness.
They require a constant supply of blood to bring nutrients and oxygen to the cells. The blood also removes carbon dioxide which is a toxin and other waste products such as dead cells.
When you bend a limb, one set of muscles will flex (shorten) and another set extend and relax
When you feel tense, your muscles will be tighter.
Where there is drawn-out stress, muscles can adhere together because of prolonged tension and they can become fibrous – called knots.
Muscles will relax when massaged.
When muscles are damaged they will repair with scar tissue, this creates fibrous tissue.
Fibrous tissue will be broken down with massage.
Regular massage not only helps repair damaged tissue but also improve sporting performance.
and more facts about muscles...
When you overstretch a muscle, it can be strained resulting in tearing of muscle fibres. When this happens, surrounding muscles will contract to prevent further movement and damage.
Warming up muscles prior to exercise helps to prevent muscle strain.
Warming down slowly is also important; otherwise blood supply is suddenly slowed to overworked muscles, thereby not adequately removing toxins.
Exercising certain muscles greatly and ignoring others will cause imbalance and can lead to a lot of pressure being put on certain joints.
Tight muscles restrict free movement and will exert greater pressure on joints.
Most joint injuries, including back injuries are caused because of long term stresses placed on them by overly tense muscles.
When you overstretch a muscle, it can be strained resulting in tearing of muscle fibres. When this happens, surrounding muscles will contract to prevent further movement and damage.
Yet more interesting facts about muscles...
Warming up muscles prior to exercise helps to prevent muscle strain.
Warming down slowly is also important; otherwise blood supply is suddenly slowed to overworked muscles, thereby not adequately removing toxins.
Exercising certain muscles greatly and ignoring others will cause imbalance and can lead to a lot of pressure being put on certain joints.
Exercise is good for muscles, inactivity is not.
When you overstretch a muscle, it can be strained resulting in tearing of muscle fibres. When this happens, surrounding muscles will contract to prevent further movement and damage.
Warming up muscles prior to exercise helps to prevent muscle strain.
Warming down slowly is also important; otherwise blood supply is suddenly slowed to overworked muscles, thereby not adequately removing toxins.
Exercising certain muscles greatly and ignoring others will cause imbalance and can lead to a lot of pressure being put on certain joints.
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