Functions of the skeletal muscle system

The human body has around 600 skeletal muscles, creating an incredibly efficient and complicated system. Apart from keeping us moving, the skeletal muscle system has more functions:

1. Movement and mobility
The primary and most known function of skeletal muscles is to make our bodies move. These muscles literally pull the body together and transport it from one point to another. They are also responsible for emotional expressions and the ability to react quickly.

2. Body posture and position
The second function relates to the first one. The skeletal muscles make the body move, but they also make the body maintain its posture - whether it is standing, sitting, or wildly dancing with all parts of your body.

3. Joint and soft tissue stabilization
The skeletal muscles also protect less stable and softer parts of the body, the joints, and soft tissues, that are essential to movement. The muscles are stronger, and thus can support poorly articulating surfaces like knees and shoulders, and protect them from injuries.

4. Body heat generation
The heat produced by the skeletal muscles is actually a by-product of contraction. Nearly three-quarters of the energy devoted to muscle contraction escapes in the form of heat. Since skeletal muscles account for more than 40% of body mass, their contribution to normal body temperature is quite significant.

5. Guarding body entrances and exits
The human body has natural entrances and exits through which we absorb and excrete substances. These passages have skeletal muscle tissues in a ring-like form to guard them and prevent injuries, damage, or the presence of harmful objects on microorganisms.