Download NAMING SKELETAL MUSCLES Skeletal muscles are named

NAMING SKELETAL MUSCLES
Skeletal muscles are named according to a variety of criteria, each of which describes the
muscle in some way.
1. Location of the muscle
- May indicate the bone or the body region with which the muscle is
associated
- Temporalis muscle – overlies the temporal bone
- Intercostal muscles – run between the ribs
2. Shape of the muscle
- Named according to a distinctive shape
- Deltoid – roughly triangular
- Trapezius – the R and L together form a trapezoid
3. Relative size of the muscle
- Maximus – largest (Gluteus Maximus)
- Minimus – smallest (Gluteus Minimus)
- Longus – long
- Brevis – short
4. Direction of the muscle fibers
- The direction that the muscle fibers run in reference to some imaginary line,
usually midline of the body or the longitudinal axis of a limb
- Rectus – straight, the fibers run parallel to the imaginary line
- Transvers/Oblique – the fibers run at right angles and obliquely
5. Number of origins
- Biceps – 2 origins
- Triceps – 3 origins
- Quadriceps – 4 origins
6. Location of attachments
- Named according to the muscles point of origin and insertion
- Sternocleidomastoid – origins on sternum and clavicle and inserts on the
mastoid process of the temporal bone
7. Action
-
Named for the action that the muscle performs
Flexor, extensor, abductor
Several criteria are often combines in naming a muscle:
Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus