Answer
Besides locomotion, our muscles have important functions in the following processes:
1, Maintenance of posture or stability of the body
2. Control of body openings and passages
3. Heat production
4. Glycemic control
Work Step by Step
Muscles have roles in breathing, blood circulation, feeding, digestion, defecation, urination and childbearing (labor). In all of these processes, they serve to propel or move contents of body structures/organs along. Skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle participate in these processes.
The force of gravity is always pulling at us and threatening to topple us from our vertical stance. Muscles work against the pull of gravity and enable us to maintain an upright posture . Muscles also stabilize joints by maintaining appropriate tension on tendons and bones.
The entrances and exits to and from body passages are controlled by muscles with special round shapes . These are mainly sphincters. Examples are the obicularis oris of the mouth which controls food intake and retention--while chewing; eyelid muscles and iris which control the admission of light into the eye,; internal sphincters which control flow of bile and blood and the movement of food between compartments of the digestive tract, also sphincters of the anus and urethra which control defecation and micturition.
Heat production is a very important function of skeletal muscles . Over 80% of the body's heat is generated by skeletal muscles. This heat is vital for maintenance of the body's temperature homeostasis and especially for the optimal functioning of enzymes .
Glucose is the second most important need of living cells . Therefore the maitence of blood glucose levels within a set range is vita for wellbeing and fuctios of body orans especially he brain. Skeletal muscles absorb, store and metabolise(use) large amounts of glucose and tus play a significant role in control of blood glucose levels.
Loss of skeletal muscle mass is concommittant with aging. This results in the loss of some of this glucose buffering action of skeletal muscles an a increase in the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes
