14.1 – Introduction to the Muscular System
Learning Objectives
- Identify the anatomy of the muscular system and describe the main functions of the muscular system
- Analyze, translate, and define medical terms and common abbreviations of the muscular system
- Practice the spelling and pronunciation of muscular system terminology
- Identify the medical specialties associated with the muscular system and explore common diseases, disorders, diagnostic tests and procedures
Muscular System Word Parts
Click on prefixes, combining forms, and suffixes to reveal a list of word parts to memorize for the muscular system.
Prefix
- a- (absence of, without)
- ab- (away from)
- ad- (towards)
- dys- (painful, difficult, abnormal, laboured)
- hyper- (above, excessive)
- inter- (between)
- intra- (within, in)
- poly- (many, much)
- sub- (below, under)
- supra- (above)
- sym- (together, joined)
- syn- (together, joined)
Combining Form
- kinesi/o (movement, motion)
- my/o (muscle)
- myos/o (muscle)
- radi/o (nerve root)
- sarc/o (flesh, connective tissue)
- ten/o (tendon)
- tendin/o (tendon)
- tend/o (tendon)
Suffix
- -al (pertaining to)
- -algia (pain)
- -ar (pertaining to)
- -asthenia (weakness)
- -centesis (surgical puncture to aspirate fluid)
- -desis (surgical fixation, fusion)
- -ectomy (excision, surgical removal, cutting out)
- -gram (the record, radiographic image)
- -graphy (process of recording, radiographic imaging)
- -ic (pertaining to)
- -itis (inflammation)
- -lysis (loosening, separating, dissolution)
- -oid (resembling)
- -oma (tumour)
- -penia (abnormal reduction)
- -physis (growth)
- -plasty (surgical repair)
- -rrhaphy (suturing, repairing)
- -sarcoma (malignant tumour)
- -schisis (split, fissure)
- -scopy (process of viewing, visual examination)
- -sis (abnormal condition)
- -tomy (incision, cut into)
- -trophy (nourishment, development)
Activity source: Muscular System Word Parts by Kimberlee Carter, from Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Kimberlee Carter and Marie Rutherford, licensed under CC BY- 4.0. / Converted to text.
Introduction to the Muscular System
When most people think of muscles, they think of the muscles that are visible just under the skin, particularly of the limbs. The skeletal muscles are so-named because most of them move the skeleton. But there are two additional types of muscles: the smooth muscle and the cardiac muscle. The body has over 600 muscles, which contribute significantly to the body’s weight.
Watch Muscles, Part 2 – Organismal Level: Crash Course Anatomy & Physiology #22 (11 min)
Media 14.1: CrashCourse. (2015, June 15). Muscles, Part 2 – Organismal Level: Crash Course Anatomy & Physiology #22 [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/I80Xx7pA9hQ
Muscular System Medical Terms
Muscular System Medical Terms (Text Version)
Practice the following muscular system words by breaking into word parts and pronouncing.
- rhabdomyolysis (rhabd/o/my/o/lysis)
- dissolution of a striated muscle
- bradykinesia (brady/kines/ia)
- condition of slow movement
- myorrhaphy (my/o/rrhaphy)
- suturing of a muscle
- dystrophy (dys/trophy)
- abnormal development
- tendinitis (tendin/itis)
- inflammation of the tendon
- electromyogram (electr/o/my/o/gram)
- record of the electricity of the muscle
- hyperkinesia (hyper/kines/ia)
- condition of excessive movement
- myasthenia (my/asthenia)
- weakness of muscles, muscle weakness
- hypertrophy (hyper/trophy)
- excessive development
- dyskinesia (dys/kines/ia)
- condition of difficult movement
- tenomyoplasty (ten/o/my/o/plasty)
- surgical repair of tendon and muscle
- myeloma (myel/oma)
- tumour in the spinal cord
- myalgia (my/algia)
- painful muscles
- polymyositis (poly/myos/itis)
- inflammation of many muscles
- tenorrhaphy (ten/o/rrhaphy)
- suturing of a tendon
- fibromyalgia (fibr/o/my/algia)
- pain in the fibers of muscles
Activity source: Muscular System Medical Terms by Kimberlee Carter, from Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Kimberlee Carter and Marie Rutherford, licensed under CC BY- 4.0. /Text version added.
Attribution
Except where otherwise noted, this chapter is adapted from “Muscular System” in Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Kimberlee Carter and Marie Rutherford, licensed under CC BY 4.0. / A derivative of Betts et al., which can be accessed for free from Anatomy and Physiology (OpenStax). Adaptations: dividing Muscular System chapter content into sub-chapters.