Introduction
Within this assignment the topics that will be covered include the cardiovascular system, the respiratory system, muscoskeletal system and also different energy systems. The ways in which exercise affects the body will also be studied and also the different ways to test exercise on the body. The study of physiology is defined as the study of the functions of living organisms and their parts. When relating physiology to sport and exercise this is basically looking at the different functions in the human body particularly whilst enduring physical activity. To see the huge changes from an athlete’s body at rest compared to during an event is also an area which will be covered. Different ways of measuring systems in the body will be examined and also the reliability and advantages and disadvantages. In relation to sports therapy physiology is very important especially whilst monitoring rehab and understanding the different types of systems located within the human body.
Cardiovascular system
The cardiovascular system is made up of 2 parts, the heart is the cardio aspect and the blood vessels and blood make up the vascular part. This system is there to deliver nutrients to different parts of the body and to also remove any waste products. At the centre of this system is a pump which distributes blood to the arteries and these arteries are carrying nutrients and oxygenated blood to the bodys tissues. From here the veins present in the body will then return de-oxygenated blood back up to the heart and this will then repeat itself hundreds of times a day. According to (Plowman and Smith the cardiovascular system is also responsible for regulating body temperature, ph levels and fluid balance. Another function is to protect the body from any potential blood loss or even infection.
(Plowman and smith) state that the heart is roughly the size of a fist and the heart is responsible for pumping blood and oxygen throughout the body. The heart is a muscle and it can produce electrical impulses which cause the heart to contract and relax. This is what happens during a heartbeat. The more intense exercise that you do will affect how quick your heart beat is as it needs to pump more blood to the working muscles quicker. The heart is made up of 4 chambers which are predominantly split into left heart and right heart. The right heart of the body is responsible for distributing blood to the lungs whereas the left side of the heart has a much bigger task of pumping blood to the remaining parts of the entire body. In-between the two sides of the heart is the interventricular system which is split into upper and lower chambers.
The vascular system is a made up of vessels which transfer blood around the human body. Each major part of the vascular system plays a key role in the function of the cardiovascular system. Arteries within the vascular system are very thick and their job is to transfer blood from the heart to various different important organs. Arteries are made up of large elastic tissue which allows them to distend when blood is systole and to recoil during diastole according to (Plowman and Smith).Blood pressure is measured by taking the results of Systolic blood pressure and the diastolic blood pressure. As blood is pumped into the aorta this stretches the elastic walls and the force that is put onto the wall of the blood vessel by the blood is the blood pressure. This is measured at two different times, one of these which is known as the systolic blood pressure is measured when the heart has contracted. The diastolic pressure is measured when the heart is relaxed. The normal blood pressure reading is 120 systolic and 80 diastolic.
The cardiac cycle includes all of the proceedings that take place during a single heartbeat. When the chambers in the heart relax this is the diastole phase and this is the time when the chambers fill up with blood. The blood will flow into the ventricles through the left and right atria
