The human musculoskeletal system consists of more than 600 bones building the skeleton. These bones are attached to other bones with joints and stabilizing ligaments. The flexibility is secured by more than 205 skeletal muscles which are attached to the skeleton by tendons. These tendons are the weak points of the structure. The regeneration and adaptation time of tendon tissues are increased in comparison to skeletal muscle tissues due to reduced vascularization. This fact leads to the danger of an imbalance of increased muscle growth e.g. by intensive training and a slowed adaptation of the tendon.
The human body differentiates three types of muscle tissue:
The human body differentiates three types of muscle tissue:
- Smooth muscle tissue (e.g. intestinal organs)
- Cardiac muscle tissue
- Skeletal muscle tissue
Crosstalk:
Supporting apparatus and musculoskeletal system
The adverse effects of diuretics on the musculoskeletal system are often secondary effects. Thus, effects like muscle cramps and pain are related to alterations of the resting electrical potentials in nerves and muscle membranes and their subsequent effects on the conduction of neuromuscular impulses. They are mostly based on the hypokalemia caused by the diuretics. Another potential risk of diuretic abuse by athletes is a deteriorated thermoregulation, based on the potentiated hypohydration effect of diuretics and sweat loss during exercise. The increase in the body heat storage during exercise, due to a reduced sweating and skin blood flow coupled with electrolyte imbalances, especially potassium, can lead to serious health problems.
