Ch. 7.5 Muscular System Key terms
abduction
Moving a body part away from the midline.
contracture
A severe tightening of a flexor muscle resulting in the bleeding of a joint.
extension
Increasing the angle between two bones, or straightening the body part
muscle tone
The state of partial contraction
rotation
Turning a body part around its own axis
adduction
Moving a body part towards the midline.
dorsiflexion
Bending backward, or bending the foot towards the knee.
fascia
A though sheetlike membrane that covers and protects the tissue
muscular system
More than 600 muscles put together
skeletal muscle
This is attached to bones and causes body movement
cardiac muscle
Forms the walls of the heart and contracts to circulate blood.
elasticity
Allows the nerve to return to its original shape after it has been contracted or stretched.
flexion
Decreasing the angle between two bones, or bending a body part.
origin
When a muscle attaches to a bone and the end does not move
supination
Turning a body part upward
circumduction
Moving in a circle at one joint, or moving one end of a body part in a circle while the other
excitability
Irritability, the ability to respond to a stimulus such as nerve impulse.
insertion
The end that moves when the muscle contracts
plantar flexion
Bending forward or bending away from the knee
tendons
Stong, tough, fibrous connective tissue cord.
contractibility
Muscle fibers that are stimulated by nerves contract, or become short and thick.
extensibility
The ability to be stretched
involuntary
When they function without conscious thought or control.
pronation
Turning a body part downward
visceral muscle
The smooth muscle with is found in the internal organs of the body.