skeletal muscle: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Oct. 14, 2026

Facts

Also Known As	striated muscle • voluntary muscle • striped muscle • somatic muscle

Photos and Videos

Skeletal muscle

Diagram showing the structure of human striated or skeletal muscle, with labeled cross-sections from whole muscle to fascicle, muscle fiber, myofibril, and sarcomere, highlighting actin and myosin filaments.

Diagram showing the structure of striated muscle at the myofilament level, with thick myosin filaments, thin actin filaments, crossbridges, Z lines, and one sarcomere labeled.

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Topics

branchiomeric muscle myomere muscle fibre axial muscle pennate muscle myocomma white fibre sarcolemma stretch receptor motor end-plate cardiac muscle smooth muscle human muscle system hamstring abdominal muscle gluteus muscle Why Does Heat Relax Your Muscles?flexor muscle extensor muscle biceps muscle

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Key People

Bowman, Sir William, 1st Baronet

Sir William Bowman, 1st Baronet

English surgeon and histologist

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