Question
Explain the skeletal functions as they relate to muscle attachment and locomotion?
Answer
The muscular system is composed of muscle tissue and is responsible for a range of functionality including the locomotion of joints, the maintenance of posture and involuntary maintenance of homeostatic systems such as the circulatory and digestive systems.
The majority of skeletal muscle is attached to each end of a skeletal bone via tendons. A tendon is a tough fibrous connective tissue, made of collagen that is capable of withstanding the tension exerted on it when a muscle contracts. Muscle contraction utilises the attachment of ligament to bone to exert a force which allow for a range of movement around a joint. Most skeletal muscle follows a similar structure to enable locomotion, whereby one end of the muscle is attached to the bone (via ligament) in a fixed position; known as the origin, whilst the other end; the insertion, is able to move during contraction. This set up allows locomotion to occur upon contraction of a muscle.
To allow for a large range of locomotion around a joint, muscles often work collaboratively with other muscles, this is known as an antagonistic pair. For example, to allow for flexion at the elbow joint, the biceps act as the agonist upon contraction, whilst the triceps relaxes acting as the antagonist.
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