INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE MUSCLES

OF HUMAN BODY:
Total number of muscles in human being: There are over 640 different muscles
in the human body i.e. approximately 320 pairs of muscles.

 Longest muscle : Sartorius (tailor muscle).

 Largest muscle: Gluteus maximus
 Smallest muscle : Stapedius (a tiny muscle less than 2 millimeters long,
located in the middle ear).
 Strongest muscle: Masseter( on the ability to generate maximum force)

NOMENCLATURE OF MUSCLES:

Names of the muscles are based on the following characteristics:

1. Number of origins of muscle: On the basis of the number of proximal

attachments of the muscles. e.g. Biceps, triceps, and quadriceps indicate
two, three, and four origins, respectively.
2. Origin or insertion of muscle: On the basis of proximal and distal
attachments of muscle. e.g. sternocleidomastoid muscle names the
sternum (“sterno”) and clavicle (“cleido”) as its origins and the mastoid
process of the temporal bone as its insertion.
3. Location of muscle: On the basis of the location of the muscle on or
nearby structure.e.g. temporalis muscle covers the temporal bone.
4. Shape of muscle: On the basis of the shape of the muscle e.g.deltoid
(triangular), trapezius (trapezoid), serratus (saw‐toothed), and rhomboids
(rhomboid).
5. Direction of muscle fibers of muscle: On the basis of the alignment of
the muscle fibres with respect to the midline of the body.e.g. Rectus
(parallel), transverse (perpendicular), and oblique (at an angle) .
6. Size of muscle: On the basis of the size of the muscle. e.g.Maximus
(largest), minimus (smallest), longus (longest), and brevis (shortest) are
common suffixes added to the names of muscles.
7. Action of muscle: On the basis of movement caused by the muscle e.g.
as flexor (flex the arm), extensor (extend the arm), abductor (move the
 arm laterally away from the torso), and adductor (return the arm to the
torso) are added as prefixes to the names of muscles.

SPECIAL NAMES OF MUSCLES:

• Boxer’s muscle - Serratus anterior.

• Casser’s perforated muscle - Coracobrachialis.
• Climbing muscle - Latissimus dorsi (broadest muscle of Back).
• Coiter’s muscle - Corrugator supercilli (wrinkler muscles of
eyebrow)
• Cowl/ Shawl muscle - Trapezius.
• Laughing /Smiling muscle- Zygomaticus major
• Knee Locking muscles - Popliteus.
• Rider’s muscle - Adductor muscle of thigh.
• Tailor’s muscle- Sartorius.
• Thelle’s muscle - Superficial transverse perinea muscle.
• Toynbee’s muscle - Tensor tympani.
• Valsalva’s muscle - Muscle of Tragus.
• Wilson’s muscle - Sphincter urethrae.
• Sibson’s muscle - Scaleneus minimus.
• Gavard’s muscle - Oblique fibres in the muscular coat of
stomach.