How do your muscles work?

Part of The World Around UsThe Human Body

Zoom in on the muscles in our body.

Muscles

Muscles are attached to bones by tendons and help them to move.

When a muscle contracts (bunches up), it gets shorter and so pulls on the bone it is attached to. When a muscle relaxes, it goes back to its normal size.

Muscles can only pull and cannot push. Therefore muscles have to work in pairs to move a joint. One muscle will contract and pull a joint one way and another muscle will contract and pull it the other.

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