Massage Therapy Licensing Exam (MBLEx) · Anatomy & Physiology
Massage Therapy Licensing Exam (MBLEx): Body Systems: Structure and Function Concepts
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Overview
This chapter is a tour of the body's main systems and the jobs they do. A massage therapist touches muscles, skin, vessels, and nerves every day, so the exam expects you to know how each system is built and how they work together. Most questions ask you to match a structure to its job.
Movement comes from three systems working as a team. The skeletal system gives a frame and levers, the muscular system pulls on those levers, and the nervous system sends the signals that tell muscles when to contract. Joints are the meeting points where bones move against each other.
The circulatory system moves blood through a closed loop. Arteries carry blood away from the heart, and veins carry it back. Veins have one-way valves and depend partly on muscle squeezing to push blood upward. The lymphatic system collects extra fluid from the tissues, filters it through lymph nodes, and returns it to the blood, which also helps the body fight infection.
The nervous system has two branches that matter a lot for massage. The sympathetic branch is the fight-or-flight side that speeds up the heart and breathing. The parasympathetic branch is the rest-and-digest side that slows things down, and a calm massage tends to bring it forward.
Key concepts
Arteries vs veins
Arteries carry blood away from the heart and have thick, elastic walls. Veins carry blood back to the heart, have thinner walls, and many have valves that stop blood from flowing backward.
Memory tipA for Away: Arteries go Away from the heart.
Lymphatic system
A network of vessels and nodes that picks up extra tissue fluid, filters it, and returns it to the bloodstream. It has no central pump like the heart. Lymph is moved by gentle contractions of the vessel walls, by muscle movement, and by breathing.
Memory tipMovement, breathing, and gentle strokes all help lymph flow.
Sympathetic nervous system
The part of the autonomic nervous system that prepares the body for stress. It raises heart rate, widens the airways, and sends blood to the muscles.
Memory tipSympathetic = Stress = fight or flight.
Parasympathetic nervous system
The part of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body. It slows the heart, supports digestion, and helps the body rest and repair.
Memory tipParasympathetic = Peace = rest and digest.
Central vs peripheral nervous system
The central nervous system is the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system is all the nerves that branch out from them to the rest of the body.
Memory tipCentral = the control center. Peripheral = the wiring out to the edges.
Integumentary system
The skin, hair, nails, and glands. It protects the body, helps control temperature, and holds many sense receptors for touch, pressure, and pain.
Memory tipSkin is the first system you touch in every session.
Often tested
- Arteries carry blood away from the heart; veins return it, helped by valves and muscle action.
- The lymphatic system returns fluid to the blood and supports the immune system.
- Sympathetic means fight or flight; parasympathetic means rest and digest.
- Bones, muscles, and nerves work together to create movement.
- The brain and spinal cord form the central nervous system.
Easy to confuse: Sympathetic vs parasympathetic
| Feature | Sympathetic | Parasympathetic |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Fight or flight | Rest and digest |
| Heart rate | Speeds up | Slows down |
| Digestion | Slows down | Speeds up |
| Linked to massage | Stress before a session | Relaxation during a calm session |
3 sample questions
Verified practice questions from this unit.
Question 1. Which blood vessels carry blood away from the heart?
- ① Capillaries
- ② Veins
- ③ Arteries
- ④ Lymph vessels
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Answer: ③ Arteries
Key point: Arteries carry blood away from the heart
Arteries carry blood away from the heart to the body. Their walls are thick and strong because the blood inside is under high pressure.
Wrong choices
- Veins: Veins carry blood back to the heart.
- Capillaries: Capillaries are tiny vessels where oxygen and food pass into the tissues.
- Lymph vessels: Lymph vessels carry lymph fluid, not blood.
Question 2. Which part of the nervous system starts the "fight or flight" response?
- ① The sympathetic nervous system
- ② The parasympathetic nervous system
- ③ The lymphatic system
- ④ The somatic nervous system
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Answer: ① The sympathetic nervous system
Key point: Sympathetic = fight or flight
The sympathetic nervous system gets the body ready for stress or danger. It raises heart rate and breathing and sends more blood to the muscles.
Wrong choices
- The parasympathetic nervous system: The parasympathetic system is "rest and digest". It calms the body.
- The somatic nervous system: The somatic system controls muscles you move on purpose.
- The lymphatic system: The lymphatic system is not part of the nervous system.
Question 3. What is a main job of the lymphatic system?
- ① Make hormones that control growth
- ② Pump blood through the body
- ③ Return extra tissue fluid to the blood and help fight infection
- ④ Carry oxygen to the cells
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Answer: ③ Return extra tissue fluid to the blood and help fight infection
Key point: Lymph returns fluid and fights infection
The lymphatic system collects extra fluid from the tissues and returns it to the blood. Its lymph nodes filter this fluid and hold white blood cells that fight infection.
Wrong choices
- Pump blood through the body: The heart pumps blood. The lymphatic system has no pump of its own.
- Carry oxygen to the cells: Red blood cells carry oxygen.
- Make hormones that control growth: Glands of the endocrine system make hormones.