The Human Body System

System, Functions, and Homeostasis

     The Muscular System has 4 main functions that work together wth other systems to maintain homeostasis. The 4 functions of this system include movement, posture, heat production, and joint stability. There are also 4 characteristics that relate to these functions. They are excitability, extensibility, contracility, and elasticity. Movement is made possible through skeletal muscles. These muscles are connected to the bone by tendons and collagen fibers. When you want to move your arm for example, your muscles pull on your bones and move your arm up or down. Excitability also plays a part in this function because it it the abbility to react to certain stimuli. Your brain sends waves to your muscles and this characteristic makes sure that your muscles will react to this signal. Posture is also very important to maintaining homeostasis. Posture is what keeps you upright. Your muscles and tendons strech an retract your skeleton thus making you body stay up. The characteristics that go withthis function are contracility, elasticity, and extensibility. They help the body ove its muscles back to their original spots, shorten, and lengthen when needed. When your muscles contract, another function that this system has, is shown. This is called heat production. Gylcolysis is one of the main heat producing systems in the body. It occurs in the blood. When a muscle contracts, the blood flow in it increases. More heat is produced when doing so. Keeping up you body's heat will allow all of of your other organs to work thus maintaining homeostasis. Another type of support that is quite like posture is called joint stability. Your bones and joints are held in place by these muscles allowing stability and movement. Without this function, your bones would not be able to keep themselves up preventing other functions to occur like movement and posture. Each of these functions rely on eachother to keep itself working and maintaing homeostasis.