GENERAL ANATOMY UPPER APPENDICULAR SYSTEM

 The Appendicular Skeleton includes the bones of  SCAPULA

the upper and lower extremities
 All together there are 126 appendicular bones; 64
associated with the upper limb and 62 for the
lower limb
- Is a large, flat, triangular bone, overlaps in
part of the 2nd to the 7th ribs on the
posterolateral thoracic aspect
- It articulates with the humerus and the
clavicle

The following are the major differences between It has:

pectoral and pelvic girdles:  Costal and dorsal surface
 3 bodies: superior, lateral and medial
PECTORAL GIRDLE PELVIC GIRDLE bodies
1. Dermal and 1. Entirely endochondral  3 angles: inferior, superior, and lateral
endochondral angles
development  3 processes – spinous, acromion, and
2. Two principal 2. Three compnents: coracoid
components, clavicle PUBIS, ILIUM,  3 fossae: supraspinous, infraspinous
and scapula, which ISCHIUM, which fused and subscapular
remain separate into single
innominate bone A. The Surface
3. No articulation with 3. Articulates with the 1. The Costal Surface
the vertebral column sacral vertebrae
4. No direct ventral 4. Direct ventral B. The Scapular Borders
articulation (clavicles articulation at the 1. The Lateral Border
connected only by pubic symphysis 2. The Medial Border
interclavicular 3. The Superior Border
ligament)
C. The Scapular Angles
5. Articulations of the 1. Inferior angle – overlies the 7th rib or
clavicles with the axial intercostals space
skeleton (sternum) are 2. Superior angle – located at the junction
relatively small, of the superior and medial borders
mobile and ventral 3. Lateral angle – truncated and broad, is
6. Comparatively lightly the head, bearing the glenoid cavity and
built for mobility forming a glenohumeral joint with the
7. Resilient to thrust humerus. Just above the glenoid cavity
8. Shallow joint with is a small, round supraglenoid tubercle
limb, allowing wide which encroaches on the root of the
range of movement coracoid process.

THE BONES OF THE UPPER EXTERMITY D. The Scapular Processes

Scapula  -  2 1. Acromiom Process – broad and
Clavicle  -  2 flattened; extending laterally and
Humerus  -  2 anteriorly overhanging the shoulder
Ulna  -  2 2. Spine of the Scapula – a triangular plate
Radius  -  2 of bone attached by its anterior border
Carpals  -  16 to the dorsum of the scapula
Metcarpals  -  10 3. Coracoid Process – this arises from the
Phalanges  -  28 summit of the scapular head and hooks
slightly laterally and forwards
 GENERAL ANATOMY UPPER APPENDICULAR SYSTEM

- The humerus is the longest and largest bone

E. The Scapular Fossae
1. Supraspinous fossa – depression above
the spine and contains the supraspinatus
muscles
2. Infraspinous fossa – depression below the
spins contains the infraspinatus muscle
3. Subscapular fossa – concavity on the
anterior or costal surface and contains the
subscapularis muscle
Left Scapula Right Scapula
in the upper limb, it has expanded ends and
a shaft
o Proximally a round head that articulates with
the scapular glenoid cavity
o The distal end loosely termed ‘CONDYLAR’, is
adapted to the forearm bone at the elbow
joint
The Proximal End
Head
- At the proximal end is slightly less half a
sphenoid
- Articular surface is covered by hyaline
cartilage, thicker centrally and is directed
posteromedially and uowards towards the
glenoid cavity in the pendants arm

The Shaft
- The anterior border
 CLAVICLE - The lateral border
- Extends laterally and almost horizontally - The medial border
across the neck from the manubrium to the
acromion, being wholly subcutaneous The Distal End
- It struts the shoulder and enables the limbs Capitulum
to swing clear of the trunk, transmitting part - It articulated with the discoid radial head,
of its weight to the axial skeleton which abuts the inferior surface in full
extension but slides on the anterior
o Its LATERAL, ACROMIAL END articulates with surface during flexion
the medial aspect of the acromion
o The enlarged MEDIAL, STERNAL END Trochlea
articulated with the manubrial clavicular facet - It articulates with the trochlear notch of
and first costal cartilage the ulna
o The SHAFT is sinous, being convex forwards in
its medial 2/3 and concave forwards lateral to The medial epicondyle
this - A blunt medial projection on the medial
Left Clavicle Right Clavicle condyle
- The medical humeral border ends at the
medial epicondyle and is distally the
medial supracondylar ridge

Olecranon
Coronoid
Radial Fossae
 HUMERUS

 RADIUS
 GENERAL ANATOMY UPPER APPENDICULAR SYSTEM

- Lateral in the forearm - The HEAD is visible in pronation on the

- Has expanded proximal and distal ends, the
distal much broader
- The shaft widens rapidly towards its distal
end
- Is concaved laterally and concave anteriorly
in its distal part
 CARPALS
 ULNA
- The ulna is medial to the radius in the
supinated forearm
- Its proximal end is a massive hook, concave
forwards
- The shaft’s lateral border is a sharp crest
- The bone dimishes progressively from its
proximal mass throughout almost its whole
length, but at its distal end expands into a
small rounded end and styloid process
The Proximal End
- The OLECRANON PROCESS is bent forwards
at its summit like beak, which enters the
humeral olecranon fossa in extension
- The CORONOID PROCESS projects anteriorly
distal to the olecranon process
- Distal to which, on the lateral surface, is a
shallow, smooth, oval RADIAL NOTCH for
articulation with the radial head
The Shaft
- The INTEROSSEOUS BORDER is a
conspicuous lateral crest in its middle half
posteromedial carpal aspect and can be
gripped when the supinated hand is flexed
- The latter, the styloid process a short
round, posterolateral projection of the
ulna’s distal end
The carpus contains 8 bonesin proximal distal
rows of four
Proximally, in lateral to medial order, are the:
- Scaphoid
- Lunate
- Triquetral
- Pisiform
Distal Row, are composed of
- Trapezium
- Trapezoid
- Capitate
- Hamate
The metacarpus is composed of five metacarpal
bones, conventionally numbered in lateromedial
order. These are miniature long bones with a distal
head, shaft, and expanded base
There are 14 phalanges, three in each finger, two in
the thumb. Each has a head, shaft and proximal
base

- Proximally continuous with the posterior

border of a depression distal to the radial
notch as the SUPINATOR CREST

- The rounded ANTERIOR BORDER

commences medial to the ULNAR
TUBEROSITY

- The POSTERIOR BORDER, also rounded

The Distal End