The Musculoskeletal System then change into hard, mineralized bone.

These growth
plates are easy to spot on an X-ray. Because girls
Every time you sprint through the halls because you're mature at an earlier age than boys, their growth plates
late for class, score against your opponents during a change into hard bone at an earlier age.
game, or shoot pool with friends, you're using your
1/5
bones, muscles, and joints. Without these important
body parts, you'd be seriously sidelined — you'd be
unable to sit, stand, walk, or do any of the activities you
do every day.

From our head to our toes, our bones provide support

for our bodies and help form our shape. The skull
protects the brain and forms the shape of our face. The
spinal cord, a pathway for messages between the brain
and the body, is protected by the backbone, or spinal
Bones
column. The ribs form a cage that shelters the heart,
Our bones give our bodies shape, and support and
lungs, liver, and spleen, and the pelvis helps protect the
protect our organs and systems.
bladder, intestines, and in girls, the reproductive organs.

Although they're very light, bones are strong enough to Click through this slideshow to learn more about bones.
support our entire weight. Print this slide

© 2018 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth. All rights reserved.

Joints are where two bones meet. They make the
skeleton flexible — without them, movement would be Bone building continues throughout your life, as your

impossible. Muscles are also necessary for movement: body constantly renews and reshapes the bones' living

They're the masses of tough, elastic tissue that pull our tissue. Bone contains three types of

bones when we move. cells: osteoblasts (pronounced: AHS-tee-uh-blastz),

which make new bone and help repair
Together, our bones, muscles, and joints — along with damage; osteocytes (pronounced: AHS-tee-o-sites),
tendons, ligaments, and cartilage — form our which are mature bone cells that help form the
musculoskeletal system and enable us to do everyday new bone; and osteoclasts (pronounced: AHS-tee-o-
physical activities. klasts), which break down bone and help to sculpt and
shape it. Osteoclasts are very active in kids and teens,
What Are the Bones and What Do working on bone as it is remodeled during growth. They
They Do? also play an important role in the repair of fractures.
The human skeleton has 206 bones. Our bones begin to
Bones are made up of calcium, phosphorus, sodium,
develop before birth. When the skeleton first forms, it is
and other minerals, as well as the protein collagen.
made of flexible cartilage, but within a few weeks it
Calcium is needed to make bones hard, which allows
begins the process of ossification(pronounced: ah-suh-
them to support your weight. Bones also store calcium
fuh-KAY-shun). Ossification is when the cartilage is
and release some into the bloodstream when it's
replaced by hard deposits of calcium phosphate and
needed by other parts of the body. The amounts of
stretchy collagen, the two main components of bone. It
certain vitamins and minerals that you eat, especially
takes about 20 years for this process to be completed.
vitamin D and calcium, directly affect how much calcium
The bones of kids and young teens are smaller than
is stored in the bones.
those of adults and contain "growing zones"
called growth plates. These plates consist of columns
of multiplying cartilage cells that grow in length, and
The soft bone marrow inside many of our bones is
where most of the blood cells flowing through our bodies
are made. The bone marrow contains stem cells, which
produce the body's red blood cells and platelets, and
some types of white blood cells. Red blood cells carry
oxygen to the body's tissues, and platelets help with
blood clotting when someone has a cut or wound. White
blood cells help the body fight infection.
Bones are made up of two types of material — compact
bone and cancellous bone. Compact bone is the solid,
hard outside part of the bone. This type of bone makes
up most of the human skeleton. It looks like ivory and is Muscles and Joints
extremely strong. Holes and channels run through it,
The human body has more than 600 muscles. They do
carrying blood vessels and nerves from the periosteum,
everything from pumping blood throughout the body to
the bone's outer membrane. Cancellous (pronounced:
helping us lift something heavy.
KAN-suh-lus) bone, which looks like a sponge, is inside
the compact bone. It is made up of a mesh-like network
Click through this slideshow to learn more about the
of tiny pieces of bone called trabeculae (pronounced:
truh-BEH-kyoo-lee). This is where red and white blood muscles and joints.

cells are formed in the marrow. Print this slide

Bones are fastened to other bones by long, fibrous © 2018 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth. All rights reserved.
straps called ligaments (pronounced: LIG-uh-
mentz). Cartilage (pronounced: KAR-tul-ij), a flexible, Humans have three different kinds of muscle:
rubbery substance in our joints, supports bones and
protects them where they rub against each other. 1. Skeletal muscle is attached to bone,
mostly in the legs, arms, abdomen, chest, neck,
What Are the Muscles and What Do and face. Skeletal muscles are
They Do? called striated (pronounced: STRY-ay-ted)
because they are made up of fibers that have
Bones don't work alone — they need help from the horizontal stripes when viewed under a
muscles and joints. Muscles pull on the joints, allowing microscope. These muscles hold the skeleton
us to move. They also help the body perform other together, give the body shape, and help it with
functions so we can grow and remain strong, such as everyday movements (they are known as
chewing food and then moving it through the digestive voluntary muscles because you can control their
system. movement). They can contract (shorten or
tighten) quickly and powerfully, but they tire
The human body has more than 600 muscles. easily and have to rest between workouts.
2. Smooth, or involuntary, muscle is also
Muscles make up half of a person's body weight. They
made of fibers, but this type of muscle looks
are connected to bones by tough, cord-like tissues
smooth, not striated. Generally, we can't
called tendons, which allow the muscles to pull on
consciously control our smooth muscles; rather,
bones. If you wiggle your fingers, you can see the
they're controlled by the nervous system
tendons on the back of your hand move as they do their
automatically (which is why they are also called
work.
involuntary). Examples of smooth muscles are
1/6
the walls of the stomach and intestines, which
help break up food and move it through
the digestive system.
 Smooth muscle is also found in the walls of blood
vessels, where it squeezes the stream of blood
flowing through the vessels to help maintain
blood pressure. Smooth muscles take longer to
contract than skeletal muscles do, but they can
stay contracted for a long time because they
don't tire easily.
3. Cardiac (pronounced: KAR-dee-ak)
muscle is found in the heart. The walls of the
heart's chambers are composed almost entirely
of muscle fibers. Cardiac muscle is also an
 For example, the biceps muscle, in the
involuntary type of muscle. Its rhythmic,
powerful contractions force blood out of the heart
as it beats.
Muscles and Movement
Even when you sit perfectly still, there are muscles
throughout your body that are constantly moving.
Muscles enable your heart to beat, your chest to rise
and fall as you breathe, and your blood vessels to help
regulate the pressure and flow of blood through your
body. When we smile and talk, muscles are helping us
communicate, and when we exercise, they help us stay
physically fit and healthy.
The movements your muscles make are coordinated
and controlled by the brain and nervous system. The
involuntary muscles are controlled by structures deep
within the brain and the upper part of the spinal cord
called the brain stem. The voluntary muscles are
regulated by the parts of the brain known as the cerebral
motor cortex and the cerebellum.
When you decide to move, the motor cortex sends an
electrical signal through the spinal cord and peripheral
nerves to the muscles, causing them to contract. The
motor cortex on the right side of the brain controls the
muscles on the left side of the body and vice versa.
The cerebellum (pronounced: ser-uh-BEL-um)
coordinates the muscle movements ordered by the
motor cortex. Sensors in the muscles and joints send
messages back through peripheral nerves to tell the
cerebellum and other parts of the brain where and how
the arm or leg is moving and what position it's in. This
feedback results in smooth, coordinated motion. If you
want to lift your arm, your brain sends a message to the
muscles in your arm and you move it. When you run, the
messages to the brain are more involved, because
many muscles have to work in rhythm.
Muscles move body parts by contracting and then
relaxing. Your muscles can pull bones, but they can't
push them back to their original position. So they work in
pairs of flexors and extensors. The flexorcontracts to
bend a limb at a joint. Then, when you've completed the
movement, the flexor relaxes and
the extensor contracts to extend or straighten the limb
at the same joint:
front of the upper arm, is a flexor, and the
triceps, at the back of the upper arm, is an
extensor. When you bend at your elbow, the
biceps contracts. Then the biceps relaxes and the
triceps contracts to straighten the elbow.
What Are the Joints and What Do
They Do?
Joints allow our bodies to move in many ways. Some
joints open and close like a hinge (such as knees and
elbows), whereas others allow for more complicated
movement — a shoulder or hip joint, for example, allows
for backward, forward, sideways, and rotating
movement.
Joints are classified by their range of
movement. Immovable, or fibrous, joints don't move.
The dome of the skull, for example, is made of bony
plates, which must be immovable to protect the brain.
Between the edges of these plates are links, or joints, of
fibrous tissue. Fibrous joints also hold the teeth in the
jawbone.
Partially movable, or cartilaginous (pronounced: kar-
tuh-LAH-juh-nus), joints move a little. They are linked by
cartilage, as in the spine. Each of the vertebrae in the
spine moves in relation to the one above and below it,
and together these movements give the spine its
flexibility.
Freely movable, or synovial (pronounced: sih-NO-vee-
ul), joints move in many directions. The main joints of
the body — found at the hip, shoulders, elbows, knees,
wrists, and ankles — are freely movable. They are filled
with synovial fluid, which acts as a lubricant to help the
joints move easily. There are three kinds of freely
movable joints that play a big part in voluntary
movement:
 Hinge joints allow movement
direction, as seen in the knees and elbows.
 Pivot joints allow a rotating or twisting
motion, like that of the head moving from side to
side.
 Ball-and-socket joints allow the greatest
freedom of movement. The hips and shoulders
have this type of joint, in which the round end of
a long bone fits into the hollow of another bone.
Things That Can Go Wrong With the
Bones, Muscles, and Joints
in one of their growth spurts, the approximately 2-year period
during which they grow most rapidly.
Osteomyelitis. Osteomyelitis (pronounced: os-tee-oh-
my-uh-LIE-tus) is a bone infection that is often caused
by Staphylococcus aureus(pronounced: sta-fuh-low-
KAH-kus ARE-ee-us) bacteria, though other types of
bacteria can cause it, too. In kids and teens,
osteomyelitis usually affects the long bones of the arms
and legs. Osteomyelitis often develops after an injury or
trauma.
Osteoporosis. In osteoporosis (pronounced: ahs-tee-o-
puh-ROW-sus), bone tissue becomes brittle, thin, and

As strong as bones are, they can break. Muscles can spongy. Bones break easily, and the spine sometimes

weaken, and joints (as well as tendons, ligaments, and begins to crumble and collapse. Although the condition

cartilage) can be damaged by injury or disease. The usually affects older people, girls with female athlete

following are problems that can affect the bones, triad syndrome and teens with eating disorders can get

muscles, and joints in teens: the condition. Exercising regularly and getting plenty of
calcium when you're a kid and teen can prevent or delay
you from getting osteoporosis later in life.
Arthritis. Arthritis is the inflammation of a joint, and
Repetitive stress injuries (RSIs). RSIs are a group of
people who have it experience swelling, warmth, pain,
injuries that happen when too much stress is placed on
and often have trouble moving. Although we often think
a part of the body, resulting in inflammation (pain and
of arthritis as a condition that affects only older people,
swelling), muscle strain, or tissue damage. This stress
arthritis also can affect children and teens. Health
generally is from repeating the same movements over
problems that involve arthritis in kids and teens
and over again. Playing sports like tennis that involve
include juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA, also know as
repetitive motions can also lead to RSIs. Kids and teens
juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, or JRA), lupus, Lyme
who spend a lot of time playing musical instruments or
disease, and septic arthritis (a bacterial infection of a
video games are also at risk for RSIs. RSIs are
joint).
becoming more common in kids and teens because they
Fracture. A fracture is when a bone breaks; it may
spend more time than ever using computers.
crack, snap, or shatter. After a bone fracture, new bone
Scoliosis. Every person's spine curves a little bit; a
cells fill the gap and repair the break. Applying a strong
certain amount of curvature is necessary for people to
plaster cast, which keeps the bone in the correct
move and walk properly. But three to five people out of
position until it heals, is the usual treatment. If the
1,000 have a condition called scoliosis (pronounced:
fracture is complicated, metal pins and plates can be
sko-lee-OH-sus), which causes the spine to curve too
placed to better stabilize the fracture while the bone
much. The condition can be hereditary, so a person who
heals.
has scoliosis often has family members who have it.
Muscular dystrophy. Muscular dystrophy (pronounced:
Strains and sprains. Strains happen when a muscle or
DIS-truh-fee) is an inherited group of diseases that
tendon is overstretched. Sprains are an overstretching
affect the muscles, causing them to weaken and break
or a partial tear of the ligaments. Strains usually happen
down over time. The most common form in childhood is
when a person takes part in a strenuous activity when
called Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and it most often
the muscles haven't properly warmed up or the muscle
affects boys.
is not used to the activity (such as a new sport or
Osgood-Schlatter disease (OSD). Osgood-Schlatter
playing a familiar sport after a long break). Sprains, on
disease is an inflammation (pain and swelling) of the
the other hand, are usually the result of an injury, such
bone, cartilage, and/or tendon at the top of the
as twisting an ankle or knee. Both strains and sprains
shinbone, where the tendon from the kneecap attaches.
OSD usually strikes active teens around the beginning
are common in teens because they're active and still
growing.
Tendonitis. Tendonitis (pronounced: ten-duh-NY-tus) is
a common sports injury that usually happens after
overusing a muscle. The tendon and tendon sheath
become inflamed, which can be painful. Resting the
muscles and taking anti-inflammatory medication can
help to relieve this condition. Place where two or more bones meet.
Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Discuss
Date reviewed: August 2015

A tendon is a band of tissue that connects muscle to o A. 

bone. A ligament is an elastic band of tissue
that connects bone to bone and provides stability to Joint
the joint. Cartilage is a soft, gel-like padding between
bones that protects joints and facilitates movement. o B. 

Marrow

Quiz On Human o C. 

Calcium
Skeletal System  

15 Questions  |  By Paxalles | Last updated: Nov 24, 2017  2. 

Which of these is NOT a job of the skeletal

system?
Discuss

o A. 

Support and give shape to the body

o B. 

The human skeletal system is made up of different and numerous Makes blood cells
bones that have a specific function in the body. The most
o C. 
important and fragile one is the backbone. How conversant are

you with the skeletal system? Take the quiz and gauge your Removes wastes from the body
knowledge. All the best as you do!  

Questions and Answers  3. 

 1. 
 These joints are found in the knee and elbow. The part of the bone where blood cells are
made.
o A.  Discuss

Pivot o A. 
o B.  Marrow

Ball and socket o B. 

o C.  Joint

Hinge o C. 
 
Ligament
 4. 
 

 6. 

These joints are found in the hip and shoulder.

These connect bones to muscles.
o A.  Discuss

Hinge o A. 

o B.  Joints

Ball and socket o B. 

o C.  Marrow

Pivot o C. 
 
Ligaments
 5.   

 7. 
 The ribs, sternum and spine protect these. What do the patella and ulna protect?

o A.  o A. 

Kidneys, bladder, urethra Wrist and elbow

o B.  o B. 

Heart, lungs, blood vessels Digestive organs

o C.  o C. 

Small intestine, large intestine Knee and elbow

   

 8.   10. 

What do the ilium and spine protect? What do the carpals and tarsals protect?

Discuss
o A. 

o A.  Wrist and ankle

Digestive organs o B. 

o B.  Knee and elbow

Knee and elbow o C. 

o C.  Heart, lungs and blood vessels

 
Wrist and ankle
   11. 

 9. 
 What do bones store?
There are around how many bones in the adult
skeleton? o A. 

Bile and insulin

o A. 
o B. 
106

Urine and feces

o B. 
o C. 
206

Calcium and iron

o C. 
 
66
 14. 
 

 12. 

What does the clavicle and scapula protect?

o A. 
What do blood hormones help control?
Discuss
Brain

o B. 
o A. 
Intestines
Blood sugars and fat deposits
o C. 
o B. 
Shoulder
Proteins and carbohydrates
 

o C. 
 15. 
Vitamins and fiber
 

 13. 
 Muscles[show]

Glossary of medicine[show]

See also[show]

What protects the spinal cord?

 v
o A.   t
 e
Patella
The human skeleton of an adult consists of 206 bones.
It is composed of 270 bones at birth, but later decreases
o B. 
to 80 bones in the axial skeleton and 126 bones in
the appendicular skeleton. Many small supernumerary
Ulna bones, such as some sesamoid bones, are not included
in this count.
o C. 

Vertebrae
Contents

 1Introduction
List of bones of the human  2Bones
o 2.1Spine (vertebral column)
skeleton o 2.2Chest (thorax)
o 2.3Skull (cranium and mandible)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
o 2.4Arm
o 2.5Pelvis (pelvic girdle)
Jump to navigationJump to search
o 2.6Leg
o 2.7Sum
o 2.8Sesamoid bones
 3References

Introduction[edit]
As a human ages, some of its bones fuse, a process
which typically lasts until sometime within the third
decade of life. Therefore, the number of bones in an
individual may be evaluated differently throughout their
life. In addition, the bones of the skull and face are
counted as separate bones, despite being
fused naturally. Some reliable sesamoid bones such as
the pisiform are counted, while others, such as
the hallux sesamoids, are not.
Individuals may have more or fewer bones than the
average (even accounting for developmental stage)
owing to anatomical variations. The most common
variations include sutural (wormian) bones, which are
Part of a series of lists about located along the sutural lines on the back of the skull,
and sesamoid bones which develop within some
Human anatomy tendons, mainly in the hands and feet. Some individuals
may also have additional (i.e., supernumerary) cervical
General[show] ribs or lumbar vertebrae.

Structures[show]
Bones[edit]  Nasal bones (2)
 Maxillae (upper jaw) (2)
Spine (vertebral column)[edit]  Lacrimal bone (2)
A fully grown adult features 26 bones in the spine,  Zygomatic bone (2)
whereas a child can have 34.  Palatine bone (2)
 Inferior nasal concha (2)
 Cervical vertebrae (set of 7 bones)  Vomer
 Thoracic vertebrae (set of 12 bones)  Mandible (lower jaw)
 Lumbar vertebrae (set of 5 bones)  Hyoid bone (not connected to any other bone)
 Sacral vertebrae (set of 5 bones at birth, and  Middle ears (6)
later fused into one after adolescence)  Malleus (2)
 Coccygeal vertebrae (set of 5 bones at birth;  Incus (2)
some or all fuse together, but there seems to be a  Stapes (2)
disagreement between researchers as to what the
most common number should be. Some say the Arm[edit]
most common is 1, others say 2 or 3, with 4 being There are a total of 64 bones in the arm.
the least likely. It is counted as 1 in this article. [citation
needed]
)
 Upper arm bones (6 bones in total; 3 on each
Chest (thorax)[edit] side)
 Humerus
 Pectoral girdle (shoulder)
 Scapula
 Clavicles
 Lower arm bones (4 bones, 2 on each side)
 Ulna
 Radius
 Hand (54 bones in total; 27 in each hand)
 Carpals
 Scaphoid bone (2)
Various bones of the human skeletal system.
 Lunate bone (2)
There are usually 25 bones in the chest but sometimes  Triquetral bone (2)
there can be additional cervical ribs in humans. Cervical  Pisiform bone (2)
ribs occur naturally in other animals such as reptiles.  Trapezium (2)
 Trapezoid bone (2)
 Sternum  Capitate bone (2)
 Ribs (24, in 12 pairs)  Hamate bone (2)
 It is important to note that three pairs  Metacarpals (10 bones in total; 5 in each
(the 8th, 9th and 10th), also known as false ribs, side)
are attached to each other. They are also
 Phalanges of the hand
attached to the 7th rib by cartilage and synovial
joints. Also two pairs of floating ribs (the 11th  Proximal phalanges (10 bones in
and 12th), have no anterior attachment. total; 5 in each side)
 Cervical ribs are extra ribs that occur in  Intermediate phalanges (8 bones
some humans. in total; 4 in each side)
 Distal phalanges (10 bones in
Skull (cranium and mandible)[edit] total; 5 in each side)
There are 22 bones in the skull. Including the hyoid and Pelvis (pelvic girdle)[edit]
the bones of the middle ear, the head contains 29
bones. The hip bone has three regions: ilium, ischium,
and pubis (2)
 Cranial bones (8)
 Occipital bone  The sacrum and the coccyx attach to the two hip
bones to form the pelvis, but are more important to
 Parietal bones (2)
the spinal column. For this reason it is omitted from
 Frontal bone the pelvic girdle.
 Temporal bones (2)
Leg[edit]
 Sphenoid bone (sometimes counted as
facial)
 Femur (2)
 Ethmoid bone (sometimes counted as
facial)  Patella or kneecap (2)
 Facial bones (14)  Tibia (2)
 Fibula (2)
 Foot (52 bones in total, 26 per foot)
 Tarsus
 Calcaneus or heel bone (2)
 Talus (2)
 Navicular bone (2)
 Medial cuneiform bone (2)
 Intermediate cuneiform bone (2)
 Lateral cuneiform bone (2)
 Cuboid bone (2)
 Metatarsals (10)
 Phalanges of the foot
 Proximal phalanges (5 × 2 = 10)
 Intermediate phalanges (4 x 2 =
8)
 Distal phalanges (5 x 2 = 10)
Sum[edit]
Spine 26 Chest 25 Head 29 Arms 64 Legs 60 Pelvis 2

(206)

Sesamoid bones[edit]

 Patella
 Pisiform bone
 Fabella
 Sesamoids in the first and second metacarpal
bones
 Sesamoids in the first metatarsal bone
 Lenticular process of the incus