Skeletal Muscle

Skeletal muscle is the type of muscle that is attached to our bones and helps us move. It is composed of individual muscle cells, each with a nucleus and two or more bundles of long, filamentous proteins called myofibrils. These muscle cells contain hundreds of thousands of proteins organized into myofilaments and proteins complexes, which when contracted create force and movement. Skeletal muscle is essential for locomotion and movement, and also plays an important role in maintaining posture and balance, thereby protecting our joints, ligaments and internal organs. In addition, skeletal muscle is also important for regulating blood flow, regulating body temperature and is a major storage organ for energy in the form of glycogen.