Essay 1

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You should aim at writing an essay in this examination in approximately 20 minutes.

Describe, and briefly explain the functional role of, the connective tissue elements associated with a skeletal muscle.

Multiple functional roles - providing passage for blood vessels and nerves, binding together muscle fibres and fascicles and transmitting forces generated by muscle contraction. Connective tissue partitions also separate individual named muscles and muscle groups, and provide additional area for attachment of muscles to bones.

Individual muscle cells (fibres) are surrounded by delicate, thin layers of connective tissue called endomysium. These layers carry capillaries and fine nerve fibres to muscle cells. Bundles of muscle fibres (fascicles) are surrounded by perimysium which is also loose connective tissue and carries blood vessels and nerves. The entire muscle is wrapped by epimysium. Depending on the size of the muscle, epimysium may vary from loose to dense connective tissue.

Towards the attachments of muscles, the connective tissue elements gather together to form strong, dense fibrous structures which serve to anchor the muscle to a bone. Many muscles have long, cordlike tendons made of dense regular connective tissue. In flat, sheetlike muscles, such connective tissue forms aponeuroses. The high collagen content of tendons and aponeuroses resists stretching and effectively transmits forces generated by muscles to bones.

Partitions of dense connective tissue of variable thickness separate muscles and muscle groups as intermuscular septa. These partitions often provide extensive additional area for attachment of muscles to bones.