What is the Difference Between Voluntary and Involuntary Muscles?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between voluntary and involuntary muscles lies in the control they receive from the nervous system. Here are the key differences between the two types of muscles:
- Voluntary Muscles:
- Also known as skeletal or striated muscles.
- Under conscious control, allowing movement of body parts and locomotion of the body.
- Involved in moving body parts and the locomotion of the body.
- Examples include muscles in hands, arms, legs, and other parts of the body that can be consciously controlled.
- Involuntary Muscles:
- Comprise two types: smooth muscles and cardiac muscles.
- Not under conscious control, contracting and relaxing automatically.
- Involved in internal movements of organs, aiding the passage of fluids and food in the digestive system.
- Examples include the diaphragm, pharynx, abdominal wall, tongue muscles, muscles of the middle ear, and muscles underneath the skin.
In summary, voluntary muscles can be controlled by our conscious thought, while involuntary muscles function automatically without conscious control. Voluntary muscles are responsible for the movement and locomotion of the body, while involuntary muscles manage internal movements and organ functions.
On this pageWhat is the Difference Between Voluntary and Involuntary Muscles? Comparative Table: Voluntary vs Involuntary Muscles
Comparative Table: Voluntary vs Involuntary Muscles
Here is a table comparing the differences between voluntary and involuntary muscles:
| Feature | Voluntary Muscles | Involuntary Muscles |
|---|---|---|
| Also known as | Striated muscles or skeletal muscles | Nonstriated muscles or smooth muscles |
| Location | Attached to bones by tendons | Lining the walls of internal organs (e.g., stomach, intestine, urinary bladder) and blood capillaries |
| Shape of the cell | Cylindrical, long, and unbranched | Spindle-shaped and small |
| Number of nuclei | Multinucleated | Uninucleated |
| Control | Under voluntary control of the somatic nervous system | Not under voluntary control and governed by the autonomic nervous system |
| Examples | Biceps, triceps, quadriceps, diaphragm, pectoral muscles, abdominals, hamstrings | Cardiac muscle (found in the heart), smooth muscle lining the blood vessels, urogenital tracts, respiratory tract |
| Function | Movement of body parts and locomotion | Internal movements of organs, aiding the passage of fluids and food in the digestive system |
| Contraction and relaxation | Rapid compared to involuntary muscles, but tire quickly and require rest | Slower compared to voluntary muscles and can maintain continuous contraction for extended periods |
| Energy supply | Possess multiple mitochondria to meet the energy needs for contraction and relaxation | Require less energy compared to voluntary muscles |
Read more:
- Innervated vs Denervated Muscles
- Smooth Muscle vs Skeletal Muscle
- Skeletal vs Smooth Muscle Contraction
- Skeletal Muscle vs Cardiac Muscle
- Striated Non Striated vs Cardiac Muscles
- Flexor vs Extensor Muscles
- Aerobic vs Anaerobic Muscles
- Voluntary vs Involuntary Manslaughter
- Muscle Cells vs Nerve Cells
- Muscular Tissue vs Nervous Tissue
- Smooth Muscle vs Cardiac Muscle
- Actin vs Myosin
- Abductor vs Adductor Muscles
- Contractile vs Noncontractile Tissue
- Type 1 vs Type 2 Muscle Fibers
- Connective Tissue vs Muscle Tissue
- Muscular Dystrophy vs Myasthenia Gravis
- Muscular Dystrophy vs Myotonic Dystrophy
- Myofibril vs Muscle Fiber