Every human being is constructed with muscles. Muscles are soft tissues they consist of actin and myosin. They both constructively help create and change the shape and length of muscle cells.
Key Takeaways
- Voluntary muscles are consciously controlled, primarily used for locomotion and manipulation; involuntary muscles function without conscious effort, regulating internal processes.
- Skeletal muscles are the primary type of voluntary muscles, while involuntary muscles include smooth and cardiac muscles.
- Under a microscope, voluntary muscles exhibit a striated appearance, while involuntary muscles have a smoother, non-striated appearance.
Voluntary Muscle vs Involuntary Muscle
The difference between voluntary muscle and involuntary muscle is that the voluntary muscle is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. The voluntary muscles are multinucleated, long, and cylindrical however the involuntary muscles are uninucleated, thin, small, and spindle in shape.
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Voluntary is muscles present in the body that can have flexible movement on the free will of the person. Whereas involuntary muscles are present in the body cannot be controlled.
Comparison Table
Parameter of Comparison | Voluntary Muscle | Involuntary Muscle |
---|---|---|
Control | It is controlled by the central nervous system | It is controlled by the autonomic nervous system |
Contraction | The contractions are rapid and powerful | The contractions are slow and rhythmic always |
Energy | The requirement of energy is high | The requirement of energy is less |
Cell | The cells are multinucleated | The cells are uninucleated |
Shape | They are long and cylindrical | They are small, thin and spindle |
Nucleus | Nucleus is present in the outer walls of the cell | It is present in the center of the cell |
Work | It works under command | It does not work under control |
Rest Period | It requires rest at regular intervals | It works continuously |
Sarcolemma | Sarcolemma present is thick | Sarcolemma present is thin |
Present in | It is present in the tongue, diaphragm and found attached to bones | It is present in alimentary tracts, respiratory tracts, blood vessels, etc. |
Involvement | It is required in the movement of body parts | It is required in internal organ movement |
What is Voluntary Muscle?
Voluntary muscles are muscles on the body that can perform flexible movement on the free will of the person and they are always attached to the skeleton system.
The sarcolemma is thick and it connects the muscle fiber to the connective tissue. Voluntary muscle plays a vital role in body movement. Contracting and relaxing the muscles.
What is Involuntary Muscle?
Involuntary muscles are muscles in the body that cannot be controlled, they are linked with the organs present in the body that makes slow and rhythmic continuous contraction and relaxation movement.
Unlike the voluntary muscles, the involuntary muscles are also known as visceral muscles as they are located in the walls of the internal organs such as urinary bladders, uterus, alimentary canal, etc. they are thin, long, and spindle-shaped.
Main Difference Between Voluntary Muscle and Involuntary Muscle
- The voluntary muscle requires rest at regular intervals as they fatigued after some time. The involuntary muscles can work continuously without any rest.
- The sarcolemma present in the voluntary muscles is thick whereas the sarcolemma present in the involuntary muscle is thin.
- https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM196412032712302
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090379812002322
Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.