Difference between origin and insertion

Difference Between Origin and Insertion

The key difference between origin and insertion is that origin is that the bone attachment at the stationary end of the muscle while insertion is that the bone attachment to the mobile end of the muscle.

A muscle mainly comprises of all the contractile tissues of the body including skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscles. Muscles are a sort of tissue important for the motions in organisms. the shape of a muscle may change when it moves, but both origin and insertion are special regions during a muscle that do not change their shape during the movement. they're attachment sites of the muscle to a selected bone and are helpful to figure out things and thus the action of a selected muscle. Not only attachment sites but also the size, direction, and shape of the muscle also determine its action and thus the range of motion. One muscle may have quite one origin or insertion. The portion of a muscle that's between origin and insertion is known as the belly or gaster of the muscle, and it mainly consists of muscle fibres.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference

2. what's Origin

3. what's Insertion

4. Similarities Between Origin and Insertion

5. Side by Side Comparison – Origin vs Insertion in Tabular Form

6. Summary

What is Origin?

Origin is that the attachment site of the muscle’s tendon to a more stationary bone. In simple words, the origin is that the location of attachment that's relatively fixed. it's extremely less movement and normally muscle contracts towards it.

Figure 01: contraction and Relaxation

Some muscles have quite one origin; as an example, musculus biceps brachii. Usually, the origin is at the proximal end of the muscle to the centre of the body.

What is Insertion?

Insertion is the attachment site of the muscle’s tendon to a more movable bone. In simple words, it is the other end of the origin.

Difference Between Origin and Insertion

Figure 02: Origin and Insertion

It has the simplest motion when the muscle contracts and it tends to be more distal to the centre of the body. Therefore, insertion is responsible for the movement of a selected part.

What are the Similarities Between Origin and Insertion?

Origin and insertion are two kinds of attachment points of skeletal muscles.

They are important for muscle contractions and movements.

Moreover, they're at the opposite ends of the belly of a muscle.

What is the Difference Between Origin and Insertion?

Origin and insertion are two ends of a muscle that attach to a bone. Origin is that the attachment end to the immovable bone while insertion is that the attachment end to a more movable bone. So, this is often the key difference between origin and insertion. Origin is closer to the centre of the body while insertion is furthest to the centre of the body. Therefore, this is often another difference between origin and insertion. Furthermore, the insertion has less mass than origin.

Below infographic summarizes the difference between origin and insertion.

Difference Between Origin and Insertion in Tabular Form

Summary – Origin vs Insertion

Origin and insertion are two attachment points. Origin is that the attachment to an immovable bone while insertion is that the attachment to a movable bone. Therefore, the origin is that the top that doesn’t move during the contraction of the muscle while the insertion is that the other end of the muscle that moves. Usually, insertion is that the distal end of the muscle. it's furthest to the centre of the body. On the other hand, the origin is the proximal end. Thus, this is often the summary of the difference between origin and insertion.

Reference:

1. “Muscle Origin and Insertion: Definition and Actions.” Study.com.