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CAYNEN HARMON - Unit 8, Section 1 Reader - Skeletal System
CAYNEN HARMON - Unit 8, Section 1 Reader - Skeletal System
Support
Imagine trying to stack cubes of gelatin. The gelatin cubes
would be hard to stack because they do not have any support
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Protection
Feel the top of your head. The hard structure you feel is
your skull. The skull protects the soft tissue of your brain
from damage. Other bones help protect your spinal cord,
heart, lungs, and other organs in your body.
Structure of Bones
A bone is an organ made of living tissue. There are two
main types of bone tissue: compact bone and spongy bone.
Cartilage
Red bone marrow
Spongy bone
Yellow bone marrow
Periosteum
Compact bone
Blood vessels
Bone Marrow
The inside of most bones is made up of a soft tissue called
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bone marrow (MER oh). There are two types of bone marrow.
Red bone marrow is the tissue where red blood cells are
made. It is found in the spongy ends of long bones and in
some flat bones, such as the ribs. Yellow bone marrow stores
fat. Yellow bone marrow is found in the longest part of long
bones.
Cartilage
The strong, flexible tissue that covers the ends of bones is called
cartilage (KAR tuh lihj). Cartilage is shown in the figure above.
Cartilage keeps the surfaces of bones from rubbing against
each other. It protects bones and reduces friction in joints.
Periosteum
The parts of a bone that are not covered by cartilage are
covered by periosteum (per ee AHS tee um). The periosteum is
a membrane that surrounds bone. This thin tissue has blood
vessels, nerves, and cells that make new bone tissue. It helps
bones function and grow properly. It also helps a bone heal
after an injury.
Formation of Bones
Before you were born, your skeleton was made mostly of
cartilage. During infancy and childhood, the cartilage was
slowly replaced by bone. The long bones in your body, such
as the bones in your legs and arms, have areas of growth
that produce new bone cells. These areas are called growth
plates. Growth plates produce cartilage that is then replaced
by bone tissue. A growth plate is the weakest part of an
adolescent bone. Growth continues until adulthood, when
most cartilage has turned to bone.
Joints
Your bones work together to move your body. They work
together at places called joints. A joint is where two or more
bones meet. Joints provide flexibility and enable the skeleton
to move. Ligaments (LIH guh munts) are tissues that connect bones
to other bones. When the bones in joints move, ligaments
stretch and keep the bones in place. Ligaments connect
bones at joints, but they do not protect bones. Cartilage
protects the ends of bones. Your skeletal system has two
types of joints—immovable joints and movable joints.
Immovable Joints
Some parts of your skeleton are made of bones that are
connected but do not move. These are called immovable
joints. Your skull has several immovable joints.
Movable Joints
Broken Bones
A broken bone is called a fracture (FRAK chur). Broken
bones can repair themselves, but it takes a long time. A
broken bone must be held together while it heals. Sometimes
a person wears a cast to hold a bone in place while it heals.
Sometimes metal plates and screws hold a bone together
while it heals.
Arthritis
Arthritis (ar THRI tus) is a disease in which joints become irritated
or inflamed, such as when cartilage in joints is damaged or wears away.
When the joints become irritated, it can be painful to move.
Arthritis is most common in adults. It can also affect children.
Osteoporosis
Another common bone disease is osteoporosis
(ahs tee oh puh ROH sus). Osteoporosis is a disease that causes
bones to weaken and become brittle, or easily broken. Osteoporosis
can change a person’s skeleton and cause fractures.
Osteoporosis is most common in women over the age of 50.
Healthy Bones
One of the best ways to keep bones healthy is to exercise.
Certain types of exercise, such as running, walking, and
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