Question Video: Identifying the Muscle Type from Its Function | Nagwa Question Video: Identifying the Muscle Type from Its Function | Nagwa

Question Video: Identifying the Muscle Type from Its Function Biology • Third Year of Secondary School

There are three major types of muscle tissue in the human body: skeletal, cardiac, and smooth. Which type of muscle is primarily involved in conscious movements of the body?

01:25

Video Transcript

There are three major types of muscle tissue in the human body: skeletal, cardiac, and smooth. Which type of muscle is primarily involved in conscious movements of the body?

The question asks us to identify which type of muscle is involved in conscious movements. While some muscles are under conscious control and so are called voluntary muscles, other muscles are controlled subconsciously, so they’re involuntary. We cannot simply decide to stop involuntary muscles from working. Smooth muscle is a type of involuntary muscle involved in lots of different organ systems. For example, smooth muscles are found in the walls of hollow organs like our stomach and intestines to help move food through the digestive system. Smooth muscle is also found in the walls of arteries and contracts to help push blood through these blood vessels continuously.

Cardiac muscle cells are only found in the heart. And like smooth muscles, these muscles are also involuntary. They need to be controlled subconsciously to ensure that the heart continuously beats in a consistent rhythm to pump blood around the body. Voluntary muscles are skeletal muscles such as those in our limbs which are our arms and legs, and they are those which are attached to bones and can be controlled voluntarily to allow coordinated movement of certain parts of the body. In addition to helping us to move, skeletal muscles also help us to maintain our bodies’ posture. As they are the only type of voluntary muscles, the type of muscle primarily involved in conscious movements of the body is skeletal muscle.

Join Nagwa Classes

Attend live sessions on Nagwa Classes to boost your learning with guidance and advice from an expert teacher!

  • Interactive Sessions
  • Chat & Messaging
  • Realistic Exam Questions

Nagwa uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more about our Privacy Policy