The muscular system consists of about 600 skeletal muscles and accounts for about 40% of the body's weight. Myology, the study of muscle, adds meaning to what you already know about bones and joints. It relates muscle attachments to the bone structures described in chapter 9 and muscle function to the joint movements described in chapter 10. It is therefore appropriate to study the muscular system in close connection with those chapters. In the next chapter, muscle contraction is considered in finer detail, from the cellular to molecular level.

Muscular anatomy and function occupy a place of central importance in several fields of health care and athletics. Physical and occupational therapists must be well acquainted with the muscular system to design and carry out rehabilitation programs. Many health professionals must move patients who are physically incapacitated, and to do this safely and effectively requires understanding of joints and muscles. Even to give intramuscular injections safely requires knowledge of the muscles and their associated nerves and blood vessels. Coaching, movement science, and sports medicine focus much of their attention on skeletomuscular anatomy and mechanics.

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