Lungs and Muscles

Hi Everybody,

I had several questions about lungs, muscles, and more. Next time, Science Box is going to focus on BRAIINNNS!

Question 1: Are the lungs and muscles connected?

Your lungs could not work without the help of the muscles surrounding the lungs.  The muscles around the lungs are the diaphragm, intercostal muscles, abdominal muscles, and muscles in the neck and collarbone area.  The intercostal muscles (what a hard science word!) are found between your ribs.  They help you spread or tighten your ribcage which gives or takes away room for your lungs to fill up in your chest.  You can also use your abdominal or stomach muscles to force air out of your lungs, this happens when you are breathing fast, like when you are doing some physical activity.  Muscles are contracting and expanding all over your upper body to help your lungs breathe in air. 

Try this out!  Take a few deep breathes.  See if you can feel movement in your ribcage or in your stomach muscles that are helping you breathe.  

Question 2: Is there anything else in the lungs?

There are small sacs that are called alveoli.  The alveoli are where air is found in the lungs and where the oxygen and carbon dioxide move from the lungs to the blood and back again.

Question 3: What are tendons and ligaments?

Tendons and ligaments are both connective tissue in the human body.  What does all that mean?  That means that tendons and ligaments help connect the parts of a body together.  They are made of Tendons connect muscle to bone or other parts of the body.  So, tendons connect your bicep (upper arm muscle) to your humerus (upper arm bone).  Tendons also connect muscles to other body parts, like the muscles that help move your eye! Ligaments connect bone to bone. Ligaments help connect the bones in your hands and fingers together. 

Question 4: Why can my fingers bend weird?

The ability of fingers to bend funny is called joint hypermobility by doctors.  This phenomena not only happens with your fingers.  Other joints in the human body can also be more flexible than average.

Sources:

http://www.sciences360.com/index.php/tendons-and-ligaments-11440/

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/19089.htm

http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/body_basics/bones_muscles_joints.html