Muscular Introduction^[1]

Muscle tissue is an important part of the human body and is one of the four primary tissue types. Muscle allows for active movement of the body or materials within the body. The four main functions of muscle tissue are movement, posture, generation of heat, and the transport and storage of substances. The body contains three types of muscle tissue: skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscle. All three muscle tissues have some properties in common, but they all have very specific functions. Most of the body’s skeletal muscle produces movement by acting on the skeleton. Cardiac muscle is found in the wall of the heart and pumps blood through the circulatory system. Smooth muscle is found in the walls of internal organs, blood vessels, and internal passageways, where it assists in moving materials. It is also found in the skin, where it is associated with hair follicles.