Muscle Terminology for Healthcare Professionals

Aug 12, 2024

Anatomical Terminology for Healthcare Professionals: Muscular Terminology

Introduction

  • Misconception: Building muscle is painful but not as much as mastering muscle terminology.
  • Fourth episode of the series on anatomical terminology.
  • Focus: Understanding how muscles are named by breaking down anatomical terms into roots, prefixes, and suffixes.

Types of Muscle

  1. Skeletal Muscle
    • Attached to bone
    • Responsible for voluntary movements
  2. Smooth Muscle (Visceral Muscle)
    • Involuntary movements
    • Found in organs and vessels
  3. Cardiac Muscle
    • Found in the heart
    • Involuntary control

Important Terms and Roots

  • my/o-: Greek 'mys' for muscle
    • Myalgia: Muscle pain
    • Myopathy: Disease affecting muscle tissue
    • Myocarditis: Inflammation of heart muscle
  • leiomy/o-: Greek 'leio' for smooth
    • Leiomyoma uteri: Benign tumor of uterine smooth muscle
  • rhabdomy/o-: Skeletal or striated muscle
    • Rhabdomyosarcoma: Malignant tumor of skeletal muscle
  • muscul/o-: Latin for muscle
    • Musculocutaneous: Relating to both muscle and skin
  • tend/o- or tendin/o-: Relates to tendons
    • Tendinitis: Inflammation of a tendon
  • fasci/o-: Refers to fascia
    • Fasciodesis: Surgical attachment of fascia to other fascia or tendon

Naming Skeletal Muscles

  1. Shape
    • Trapezius: Diamond-shaped
    • Deltoid: Triangular shape
    • Serratus anterior: Saw-like
  2. Size
    • Gluteus maximus: Largest muscle
    • Vastus lateralis, Fibularis brevis, Adductor longus, Latissimus dorsi
  3. Orientation/Direction of Fibers
    • Transverse muscle of the tongue: Perpendicular fibers
    • External oblique: Diagonal fibers
    • Rectus abdominis: Parallel fibers
  4. Action
    • Flexor digiti minimi: Flexor of the little finger
    • Extensor hallucis brevis: Extensor of the big toe
    • Risorius: Helps to smile
    • Masseter: Chewer
  5. Number of Heads/Bellies
    • Biceps brachii: Two heads
    • Triceps brachii, Quadriceps femoris
  6. Attachments
    • Sternohyoid: Sternum and hyoid bone attachment
    • Pubococcygeus: Pubic and coccygeal bones attachment
  7. Location
    • Temporalis: Temporal region of the skull
    • Intercostal muscles: Between rib bones
    • Flexor digitorum superficialis vs. Flexor digitorum profundus: Relative position

Muscle Function Terminology

  • Agonist (Prime Mover): Main muscle for movement (e.g., Biceps brachii for elbow flexion)
  • Synergist: Assists agonist (e.g., Stabilizing joint)
  • Antagonist: Opposes the agonist (e.g., Triceps brachii for elbow extension)

Types of Muscle Contraction

  1. Isotonic Contraction: Muscle changes length with constant tension
    • Concentric Contractions: Muscle shortens
    • Eccentric Contractions: Muscle lengthens
  2. Isometric Contraction: Muscle exerts force without changing length (e.g., Plank exercise)

Clinical Terms

  • Spasmo-: Involuntary spasm
    • Spasmogenic: Causes spasm
  • -trophy: Growth or development
    • Atrophy: Wasting away of muscle
    • Hypertrophy: Overdevelopment of muscle
  • Clonic: Alternating involuntary contraction and relaxation

Conclusion

  • Encouragement to feel confident in understanding muscular system terminology.
  • Teaser for the next episode on cardiovascular terminology.

Full transcript