Diaphragm - smooth or skeletal?

[dougkaye]

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Everywhere I read, someone has a different opinion on whether the diaphragm is smooth or skeletal muscle. What's the word? EK says skeletal, a physiology class online says smooth. Obviously it has both autonomic and somatic innervation, as you can hold your breath or force yourself to hyperventilate, but also gets signals from the medulla. I'd hate to lose a MCAT point on this...

 

[PiBond]

Skeletal

 

[dougkaye]

What's your source?

 

[DougTPR]

What's your source?

I just looked at all five of my Human Physiology textbooks sitting on the shelf and they all agree that the diaphragm is skeletal muscle.

 

[dougkaye]

K thanks. I'll go with that.

 

[ilovemcat]

I just looked at all five of my Human Physiology textbooks sitting on the shelf and they all agree that the diaphragm is skeletal muscle.

I second that. That's what I was taught in Anatomy Class.