Human physiology and stretching
Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to present some of the basic physiological concepts that come into play when a muscle is stretched. The concepts will be initially introduced with a general description and then (for those who want to know the bloody details) will be discussed in more detail. If you are not so interested in this aspect of stretching, you can omit this chapter. Other sections will refer to important concepts of this chapter and you can easily look for them based on ‘need to know’.
Developing
- The skeletal muscle system
- Muscle composition
- Connective tissue
- Cooperating muscle groups
- Types of muscle contractions
- What happens when you stretch
- The skeletal muscle system
- Muscle composition: (next section)
- Stretch physiology: (beginning of the chapter)
Together, muscles and bones understand what is called the skeletal muscle system of the body. The bones provide structural posture and support for the body and muscles give the body the ability to move (contracting and generating tension). The skeletal muscle system also provides protection for the internal organs of the body.
To fulfill their function, the bones must be united by something. The point where the bones are connected to each other is called the joint, and this connection is made mainly by ligaments (together with the help of the muscles). The muscles are united to the bone by the tendons. The bones, tendons and ligaments do not have the ability (such as muscles) to make your body move. The muscles are very unique in this regard.
Muscle composition
- Connective tissue: (next section)
- The skeletal muscle system: (previous section)
- Stretch physiology: (beginning of the chapter)
The muscles vary in shape and size, and serve for many different purposes. Most large muscles, such as hamstrings and quadriceps, control the movement. Other muscles, such as the heart and muscles of the inner ear, perform other functions. However, at the microscopic level, all muscles share the same basic structure.
At the highest level, the muscle (complete) is made up of many tissue strands called fascicles. These are the muscle strands that we see when we cut red meat or poultry. Each fascicle is made up of fascicles that are made of muscle fibers. Muscle fibers in turn are composed of tens of thousands of thread -shaped myofibrils, which can be contracted, relaxing and lengthening (lengthening).
Myofibrilla are (in turn) composed of up to millions of bands placed from end to end called sarcomeres. Each sarcomer is made of thick and thin overflows called myofilaments. Thick and thin myofilaments are formed by contractile proteins, mainly actin and myosin.
- How muscles contract
- Fast and slow muscle fibers
- How muscles contract
- Fast and slow muscle fibers: (Next Subsection)
- Muscle composition: (login)
The way in which all these various levels of muscle operate is as follows: The nerves connect the spine to the muscle. The place where the nerve and muscle are binding is called neuromuscular union. When an electrical signal crosses the neuromuscular union, it is deeply transmitted within the muscle fibers.
Within muscle fibers, the signal stimulates calcium flow, which makes thick and thin myofilaments slide each other. When this happens, it makes sarcomere shorten, which generates strength. When billions of sarcomers in the muscle are shortened at the same time, there is a contraction of all muscle fiber.
conclusion
When a muscular fiber contracts, it contracts completely. There is no partially contracted muscle fiber. Muscle fibers cannot vary the intensity of their contraction in relation to the load against which they act. If this is so, how does the strength of a muscular contraction in strong to weak varies vary? What happens is that more muscle fibers are recruited, as necessary, to perform the work in question. The more muscle fibers are recruited by the central nervous system, the stronger the force generated by muscle contraction.
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