Differences Between Voluntary and Involuntary Muscles

Mian Difference

Voluntary muscles or striated muscles are those that work according to the one’s desire or are under control, while Involuntary muscles aren’t under one’s control. Biceps nerves, lymph, lymph and urogenital tracts are the areas where voluntary muscles are located, wheres locomotory muscles, abdominal muscles, middle ear muscles, Diaphragm are the cases of the involuntary muscles.

Locomotion and movements are the main characteristics of these organisms, Whether it’s unicellular or multicellular. For this action, there’s the specific sort of cells called muscle tissue, and the cells are known as the muscle cell. These muscle tissues are formed from the embryonic mesoderm. These tissues get coordinately working with one another and consequently encourage the motions of the body, and its various components.

In this article We’ll be analyzing the basic difference between both kinds of muscles along with a brief description of them.

Comparison Chart

Voluntary Muscles

Voluntary muscles occupy around 40% of their body weight. They are under the control of the peripheral and central nervous system. The striated or striped are the other titles of the voluntary muscles. In the body of somebody, these are found at the bundles of muscle fibers. These are long and are present close to the bones.

The bundles of muscle fibers present are bounded from the sarcolemma, Which comprises sarcoplasm, sarcoplasmic reticulum, and are uninucleated. The whole muscles are covered by the epimysium, that is the sort of connective tissue. Each end of the muscles is attached to the bones, through the tendons. There are dark, and light bands found between every running fiber called as myofibrils.

Construction of the Voluntary muscles

• As it’s said, muscles fibers would be the thread such as, unbranched, and cylindrical, their range varies from 1mm to 30 cm.
• Sarcolemma — It’s two layers — Plasma membrane, and cellar membrane. It’s a transparent membrane, and it surrounds the muscle fibers.
• Sarcoplasm — It looks like the cytoplasm of the cell, and because it’s within the muscle fiber, it’s called as sarcoplasm.
• Syncytial — Below the coating or sarcolemma, nuclei are found, these are oval and flat in shape.
• Sarcosomes — Aside from nuclei, cytoplasm, there are many types of enzymes, fat drops, and also mitochondria or sacrosomes, also endoplasmic reticulum or sarcoplasmic reticulum, golgi bodies, and other organelles.
• Myofibrils or sarcostyles — There are many parallel enlarged Thread like sticks, in the sarcoplasm of muscle fibers. This rod-like arrangement is called as myofibrils or sarcostyles. For this reason the contraction and relaxation of the muscles are possible.

Involuntary Muscles

Also called unstriated or unstriped muscles. They Are also referred to as visceral muscles since they exist in the walls of internal organs such as urinary tract, uterus, alimentary canal, etc.. They aren’t under the control of someone’s desire called as involuntary muscles.

The cells of muscles fibers are long, thin and spindle-shaped, though structurally very simple. There’s oval nucleus within the middle of each cell. The nucleus is surrounded by the sarcoplasm. There are long, thin, parallel filaments within the sarcoplasm is called as myofibrils. These muscles don’t show light and dark bands, although actin and myosin exist.

Key Differences

1. Voluntary muscles are also called striped, striated or skeletal muscles, whereas Involuntary muscles are also called unstriped, non-striated, plain muscles.
2. Voluntary muscles are long, cylindrical and unbranched, while Involuntary muscles are little and spindle-shaped.
3. Voluntary muscles are multinucleate, and the nucleus is present in the rim (periphery). Involuntary muscles are uninucleate and the nucleus is placed.
4. Sarcolemma is thick in striated muscles, whereas it’s lean in unstriated muscles.
5. The muscles of voluntary muscles contract very quickly and powerfully, and the contraction is under the control of the central nervous system. In the event of involuntary muscles, the contraction is slow and rhythmic, and the contraction is under the control of the autonomic nervous system.
6. Involuntary muscles, the energy requirement is high, but it’s low in involuntary muscles.
7. Voluntary muscles are located in organs performing voluntary motions such as locomotory muscles, tongue, pharynx, diaphragm, middle ear muscles, sheets of muscles of the abdominal wall below the skin. These are connected to the bones. On the contrary Involuntary muscles organs doing automatic motions such as urogenital tracts, alimentary tracts, respiratory tracts, ducts of glands, blood vessels, ciliary muscles. They exist in the walls of internal organs.
8. An intercalated disk is absent in both kinds of muscles, and the muscles get easily fatigued from the voluntary muscles, although the muscles fatigue is slow in involuntary muscles.
9. Voluntary muscles are under the control of our will, they also become tired and need rest at regular intervals. On the other hand, Involuntary muscles are not under the control of our will and also not become tired and can work continuously.

Conclusion

We discussed the voluntary and involuntary muscles, and their importance also. We also found that both the muscle system is not only Required for the moves or locomotion, they also protect the body from external shock. Thus these are important for the body.