Muscle Types

Front 1

Striated

Back 1

means striped. muscles include both voluntary muscles that respond to nerve signals from the brain to carry out a variety of movements and functions, and the muscles of the heart.

Front 2

The two main types of muscles are

Back 2

striated (striped) nonstriated

Front 3

Nonstriated

Back 3

smooth muscles. These include the uterus and the muscular layers of the intestines, bladder, blood vessels, etc.

Front 4

skeletal muscle –

Back 4

The primary muscle used to allow voluntary movement of the body, usually attached to the skeleton by tendons

Front 5

smooth muscle –

Back 5

The muscle that lines the walls of internal organs. This muscle is usually short in its strands and allows for the movement of body fluids and waste through the internal systems.

Front 6

cardiac muscle –

Back 6

This type of muscle is found only in the heart.

Front 7

shape

Back 7

Muscle names are often derived from the actual physical shape of the muscle itself or a defining physical characteristic, such as the number of heads that it has

Front 8

rhomboideus

Back 8

– A muscle of the back, shaped like a rhomboid.

Front 9

triangularis

Back 9

– A muscle of the face which is triangular in shape.

Front 10

triceps

Back 10

– A muscle with three (tri-) heads.

Front 11

biceps

Back 11

– A muscle with two (bi-) heads.

Front 12

Location

Back 12

A muscle can be named for its actual location within the body relative to other body structures.

Front 13

pectoralis

Back 13

– Chest muscle located within the pectoral girdle.

Front 14

intercostal

Back 14

– Muscle located between ribs (literally means between ribs).
abdominis – Located in the abdominal area.

Front 15

Attachment

Back 15

Many muscles are named for the bones to which they are attached. The muscle name can combine more than one name when more than one bone is involved.

Front 16

zygomaticus

Back 16

– Attached to the zygoma (bone of the face).

Front 17

sternocleidomastoid

Back 17

– Attached to the sternum, clavicle, and mastoid process of the skull.

Front 18

Size

Back 18

The actual size of the muscle or its relative size to a similar muscle can be used in naming a muscle.

Front 19

maximus or major

Back 19

– Both of these terms mean larger or largest.

Front 20

minimus or minor

Back 20

– Meaning smaller or smallest.

Front 21

longus

Back 21

– Meaning long.

Front 22

brevis

Back 22

– Meaning short.

Front 23

Orientation of fibers

Back 23

This is the direction that the individual fibers of a muscle extend.

Front 24

oblique

Back 24

– In a slanting or inclined direction.

Front 25

rectus

Back 25

– Meaning straight.

Front 26

transverse

Back 26

– Meaning across or placed crosswise.

Front 27

Relative position

Back 27

These delineations contain basic directional planes and are used on similar muscles to designate a slightly different orientation. Often a "medial" will have a corresponding "lateral," as, for example, medial meniscus and lateral meniscus (in the knee). An "external" will have a corresponding "internal," such as the internal and external jugular veins. You will have a chance to learn those structures, and many others like them, in subsequent chapters.

Front 28

lateral

Back 28

– Something that is farther from the midpoint or to the side.

Front 29

medial

Back 29

– Something closer to the middle or the midline.

Front 30

internal

Back 30

– Situated or occurring within or on the inside.

Front 31

external

Back 31

– Situated or occurring on the outside.

Front 32

Function

Back 32

Muscles are responsible for movement. However, there are several different types of movements, and muscles are often classified according to the actual movement that they produce.

Front 33

adductor

Back 33

– Movement to draw toward a medial plane.

Front 34

extensor

Back 34

– General term for a muscle that extends a joint.

Front 35

flexor

Back 35

– General term for a muscle that flexes a joint.

Front 36

levator

Back 36

– A muscle that elevates or lifts an organ or structure.

Front 37

anterior

Back 37

Situated in front of or toward the front of a body part or organ. Term also used in reference to ventral or belly surface of the body. Frontal is a common synonym for anterior.

Front 38

coronal

Back 38

Division of the body into anterior and posterior sections. Also called frontal plane. Can mean pertaining to the head or the crown.

Front 39

transverse

Back 39

A horizontal plane situated at right angles to the long axis, or sagittal and coronal planes; placed crosswise.

Front 40

sagittal

Back 40

Division of body into left and right sides in a vertical lengthwise fashion.

Front 41

distal

Back 41

Remote; farther from the trunk of the body or attachment point; opposite of proximal. (The elbow is proximal to the wrist but distal to the shoulder).

Front 42

ventral

Back 42

Pertaining to the abdomen; used to denote a position that is more toward the belly/abdominal surface than some other object of reference.

Front 43

dorsal

Back 43

Pertaining to the back; also used to denote a position that is more toward the back than another object of reference. Sometimes called posterior.

Front 44

inferior

Back 44

Situated below or directed downward; also used to denote the lower portion of an organ or the lower of two structures. Sometimes called caudal.

Front 45

lateral

Back 45

Pertaining to the side; denoting a position farther from the midline (median plane) of a structure.

Front 46

medial

Back 46

Pertaining to the middle; closer to the midline of a body; pertaining to the middle layer.

Front 47

posterior

Back 47

Situated in the back; also used in reference to the back or dorsal surface of the body.

Front 48

proximal

Back 48

Near; closer to the trunk of the body or attachment point; opposite of distal. (The elbow is proximal to the wrist but distal to the shoulder).

Front 49

superior

Back 49

Situated above, or directed upward; in official anatomic nomenclature, used in reference to the upper surface of an organ or other structure, or to a structure occupying a higher position.