Abstract
The combined action of muscles and connective tissue, including the tendons, exerting force on the bones of the skeleton is responsible for the movement and stability of the body. Herein we discuss multiple aspects of the skeletal muscles and tendons. We describe each tissue individually, starting with an explanation of the different muscle types as well as the anatomy of skeletal muscle, focusing on the anatomy and action of the sarcomere. The classification of the diverse fascicular arrangements found in skeletal muscle precedes the description of the different muscle fibres and the relationship between the muscle motor unit and the nervous system.
In the second half of the chapter, we turn our attention to the tendon, looking at the microstructure, function and biochemical composition. The major constituents of the tendon and the cellular component are described.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Agarkova I, Perriard JC (2005) The M-band: an elastic web that crosslinks thick filaments in the center of the sarcomere. Trends Cell Biol 15(9):477–485
Avery NC, Bailey AJ (2005) Enzymic and non-enzymic cross-linking mechanism in relation to turnover of collagen: relevance to aging and exercise. Scand J Med Sci Sports 15:231–240
Bailey AJ (2005) Molecular mechanisms of ageing in connective tissues. Mech Ageing Dev 122:735–755
Charvet B (2012) Muscles. Ligaments Tendons 2(2):53–63
De Campos VB (2003) Image analysis of tendon helical superstructure using interference and polarized light microscopy. Micron 34:423–432
Dyer RF, Enna CD (1976) Ultrastructural features of adult human tendon. Cell Tissue Res 168:247–259
Galbraith CG, Sheetz MP (1998) Forces on adhesive contacts affect cell function. Curr Opin Cell Biol 10:566–571
Gao C, Sun W, Christofidou-Solomidou M et al (2003) PECAM-1 functions as a specific and potent inhibitor of mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis. Blood 102(1):169–179
Gathercole LJ, Keller A (1991) Crimp morphology in the fibre-forming collagens. Matrix 11:214–234
Henneman E (1957) Relation between size of neurons and their susceptibility to discharge. Science 126:1345–1347
Henneman E, Somjen G, Carpenter DO (1965) Functional significance of cell size in spinal motoneurons. J Neurophysiol 28:560–580
Huxley HE (2004) Fifty years of muscle and the sliding filament hypothesis. Eur J Biochem 271(8):1403–1415
McCormick RJ (1999) Extracellular modifications to muscle collagen: implications for meat quality. Poult Sci 8:785–791
Parry DA, Barnes GRG, Craig AS (1978) A comparison of the size distribution of collagen fibrils in connective tissues as a function of age and a possible relation between fibril size distribution and mechanical properties. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 203:305–321
Paul CD, Shea J, Mahoney MR et al (2016) Interplay of the physical microenvironment, contact guidance, and intracellular signaling in cell decision making. FASEB J 30(6):2161–2170
Perugia L, Postacchini F, Ippolito E (1981) I tendini, biologia-patologia-clinica. Masson Italia Editori, Milano
Redaelli A, Montevecchi F (2007) Biomeccanica analisi multiscala di tessuti biologici. Patron Editore. 153–215
Robbins JR, Vogel KG (1994) Regional expression of mRNA for proteoglycans and collagen in tendon. Eur J Cell Biol 64:264–270
Robbins JR, Evanko SP, Vogel KG (1997) Mechanical loading and TGF-beta‚ regulate proteoglycan synthesis in tendon. Arch Biochem Biophys 342(2):203–211
Robins SP, Bailey AJ (1972) Age-related changes in collagen: the identification of reducible lysine-carbohydrate condensation products. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 48:76–84
Rowe RW (1985) The structure of rat tail tendon fascicles. Connect Tissue Res 14:21–30
Scott JE (1998) Proteoglycan-fibrillar collagen interactions. Biochem J 252(2):313–323
Scott JE (2001) Structure and function in extracellular matrices depend on interactions between anionic glycosaminoglycans. Pathol Biol 49(4):284–289
Silver D, Miller J, Harrison R, Prockop DJ (1992) Helical model of nucleation and propagation to account for the growth of type-I collagen fibrils from symmetrical pointed tips: a special example of self-assembly of rod-like monomers. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 89(20):9860–9864
Strocchi R, Leonardi L, Guizzardi S et al (1985) Ultrastructural aspects of rat tail tendon sheaths. J Anat 140:57–67
Vachon PH (2011) Integrin signaling, cell survival, and anoikis: distinctions, differences, and differentiation. J Signal Transduct 2011:738137. doi:10.1155/2011/738137
Wang JH (2000) Substrate deformation determines actin cytoskeleton reorganization: a mathematical modeling and experimental study. J Theor Biol 202:33–41
Wang JH (2006) Mechanobiology of tendon. J Biomech 39(9):1563–1582
Yoon JH, Halper J (2005) Tendon proteoglycans: biochemistry and function. J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact 5:22–34
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 ISAKOS
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Fisher, J.N., Di Giancamillo, A., Roveda, E., Montaruli, A., Peretti, G.M. (2017). Functional Morphology of Muscles and Tendons. In: Canata, G., d'Hooghe, P., Hunt, K. (eds) Muscle and Tendon Injuries. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-54184-5_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-54184-5_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-662-54183-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-54184-5
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)