Why is smooth muscle referred to as involuntary?
Why is smooth muscle referred to as involuntary?
In the human body, three major types of muscles are skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscle. The skeletal muscle and Cardiac muscles are sometimes referred to as striated muscle due to the presence of striations or streaks when observed under a microscope. In contrast, the smooth muscle shows a non-striated pattern on microscopic examination.
The smooth muscles are located in the walls of various organs of the human body, including the digestive, reproductive, urinary tracts, and blood vessels. The smooth muscle gets its name due to the absence of striations or streaks, which are generally found in cardiac and skeletal muscle. The smooth muscle is known to have an involuntary mode of action, or the muscles are not under the individual's conscious control. The action of smooth muscles cannot be controlled by an individual, as seen in skeletal muscle, which has a voluntary action mode. The smooth muscles tend to work continuously, and their contraction is mostly triggered by hormones, the Autonomic nervous system, and other factors.
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