The Skeletal System

The Skeletal System: The system of the body composed of

bones and cartilage

Fun Fact: The adult body is

composed of 206 bones
● Supports the body, facilitates movement, and protects the internal organs
● Bone Marrow: The soft tissue that fills the interior of the bones that stores fat and
produces blood cells
● Bone matrix acts a reservoir for calcium & phosphorus
● It serves as an area for muscle attachment
○ Muscles allow movement
Bone: (Osseous tissue) hard dense connective tissue
● Long bones: ● Irregular
○ Cylinder-like shape, longer than wide ○ Complex shape
○ Used for leverage ○ Protects internal organs
○ Examples: femur, tibia, fibula, radius, ○ Examples: vertebrae, facial organs
phalanges, etc. ● Sesamoid
● Short:
○ Small and round
○ Cube-like shape, equal in length and width
○ Embedded in tendons
○ Provides stability, support, while allowing
○ Protects tendons from compressive
for some motion
force
○ Examples: carpals, tarsals
○ Example: patellae
● Flat:
● Cartilage is found in areas of the skeleton
○ thin and curved
where bones move
○ Points of attachment for muscles
○ It is a semi-rigid form of connective
○ Protectors of internal organs
○ Examples: sternum, ribs, scapulae, cranial tissue that provides flexibility and
bones smooth surface for movement
Ossification: bone formation → can occur in 2 ways
Intramembranous ossification
- Bone develops directly from sheets of Endochondral ossification
connective tissue - Bone develops by replacing hyaline cartilage
- Flat bones of the bones, most cranial - Takes longer
bones, and clavicles are formed by this - Bones at the base of skull and long bones form
- bone develops from this
- bone replaces
Long Bone
● Diaphysis: long shaft between proximal and distal ends of bone
○ Medullary cavity: hollow in the diaphysis filled with yellow
marrow
○ Surrounded by endosteum (where brown growth, repair, and
remodeling occurs)
○ Walls are composed of hard compact bone
● Epiphysis: wider section at the ends of the bone
○ Filled with spongy bone
○ Red marrow fill spongy bone
○ Epiphysis meets diaphysis at the epiphyseal plate (growth plate).
It is an area of transparent cartilage
● Outer surface of bones is called periosteum
○ Contains bloods vessels, nerves, and lymphatic vessels
○ Tendons and ligaments attach here
○ In this area the epiphysis is covered with articular cartilage that
reduces friction and acts as shock absorber
Tendons
● Cord of strong, flexible tissue (rope like)
● Connect your muscles to bone
● Tendons allow limb movement
● Prevent muscle injury
○ Absorb some of the impact when you do activities like jump or run

The Achilles Tendon: largest tendon; connects your calf muscle to heel bone
Ligaments
● Composed of connective tissue that have a lot of strong collagen fibers
● Many different shapes and sizes
○ Can be stringlike, narrow, or wide
● Connect two bones together, mainly in the joints
● Make sure internal organs stay in place

TENDONS CONNECT MUSCLES TO BONES AND LIGAMENTS HELP HOLD

THINGS IN PLACE AND CONNECT BONES TO BONES
Joints: Where adjacent bones come together. They consist of
cartilage
Structural classification Functional classification
- Fibrous joint: bones connected by
connective tissue - synarthrosis: immoble, just
provides a strong union
- Cartilaginous joint: bones together by
cartilage
- amphiarthrosis: limited
- Synovial joint: bones aren't connected but mobility
come together via fluid cavity
- Diarthrosis: freely moveable
joint
 Uniaxial joint; allows Atlantoaxial joint (C1–C2 vertebrae
Pivot rotational movement
articulation); proximal radioulnar joint

Uniaxial joint; allows Knee; elbow; ankle; interphalangeal

Hinge flexion/extension movements joints of fingers and toes

Biaxial joint; allows flexion/extension, Metacarpophalangeal (knuckle) joints of

Condyloid abduction/adduction, and circumduction
movements
fingers; radiocarpal joint of wrist;
metatarsophalangeal joints for toes

Biaxial joint; allows flexion/extension, First carpometacarpal joint of the

Saddle abduction/adduction, and circumduction
movements
thumb; sternoclavicular joint

Multiaxial joint; allows inversion and Intertarsal joints of foot;

Plane eversion of foot, or flexion, extension, and
lateral flexion of the vertebral column
superior-inferior articular process
articulations between vertebrae

Multiaxial joint; allows flexion/extension,

Ball-and-socket abduction/adduction, circumduction, and
medial/lateral rotation movements
Shoulder and hip joints
Axial Skeleton
● Form vertical, central axis of the body
● Includes all bones of the head, neck, chest, anc back
● Served to protect brain, spinal cord, heart, lungs
● Serves as attachment site for muscles that move head,
neck, and back
● Is the skull, the vertebral column, and thoracic cage
Appendicular skeleton

- Includes all bones in the upper and lower limbs

Bone Cells
● Osteogenic cells
○ Develop into osteoblasts
○ Deep layers of the periosteum
and marrow
● Osteoblasts
○ Bone formations
○ Growing portion of bone
including periosteum and
endosteum
● Osteocytes
○ Maintain mineral
concentration of matric
○ Entrapped in matrix
● Osteoclasts
○ Bone resorption
○ Bone surfaces and at sites of
old, injured, or unneeded
bone
Important Vocab
● appendicular skeleton
○ All bones in upper and lower limbs
● axial skeleton
○ Bones of vertical and central axis of body
● Cartilage
○ Semi-rigid form of connective tissue that provides flexibility and smooth
surface for movement
● Endoskeleton
○ internal skeleton/framework
● Fontanels
○ Soft spot in skull of an infant covered with fibrous membrane; allows
baby to be pushed through the birth canal
 Important Vocab
● Ligaments
○ Flexible connective tissue that connects 2 bones
● Marrow
○ The soft, spongy tissue that has many blood vessels and is found in center of
bone
● Ossification
○ Bone formation
● Periosteum
○ Thin layer of connective tissue that covers the bones
● synovial fluid
○ Joint fluid that reduces friction
● Tendons
○ Connects muscle to bones
● Joints
○ Where 2 or more bones meet