SHORT TERM & LONG TERMS

RESPONCE OF EXERCISES ON THE

SKELETAL SYSTEM
It’s regularly easy to neglect the
effect that exercise has on the
skeletal system because our bones
and other linked skeletal organs are
very much out of sight and out of
mind. The skeletal system consists
of our bones, ligaments which
connect bones to other bones and
cartilage which protects our bones
from wear and tear. Exercise has a number of effects on our skeletal system both in the short
and long term.

SHORT TERM EFFECTS

Increased Synovial Fluid Production

The bones and joints have little or no blood supply. To keep joints healthy, stop cartilage from
drying out and keep cartilage lubricated and nourished, the joints produce an oil-like substance
called the synovial fluid. According to "Sports Injuries: Their Prevention and Treatment, Third
Edition" by Per Renstrom, synovial fluid is produced by the synovial membrane within the joints
and is a short-term or acute response to exercise. This means that joints require regular
exercise to stay lubricated, nourished and healthy.

Increased Joint Range of Movement

Exercise increases the production of synovial fluid which keeps our joints lubricated and makes
them supple. Synovial fluid production increases the range of movement available at your joints
in the short term. Often, after long periods of stillness, our joints “dry out” harden up and lose
some of their movement range. Exercise increases the range of movement available at our
joints as more lubricating synovial fluid is released into them. Mobility exercises such as arm
circles and knee bends keep our joints supple by ensuring a steady supply of synovial fluid. E.g.
1. You perform hip flexion when you move your thigh closer to your stomach while kicking a
soccer ball.
2. Knee extension is another motion that involves the knee joint. You perform this action when
you move your leg from a bent to straight position just before making contact with the soccer
ball.

LONG TERM EFFECTS

INCREASED BONE DENSITY

Popular opinion suggests that moderate- to high-impact exercise does more harm than good to
bones and joints owing to mechanical stress. As explained on the University of Maryland
Medical Center's website, however, research has shown that the opposite is true. Frequent
movement of the joints can relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis if not the progression of the
disease itself. Weight-bearing exercise such as walking or running has a number of benefits: It
can hinder osteoporosis--especially in older people--and thus reduce the risk of various
fractures, and it can also lessen the kind of chronic back pain often attributed to a sedentary
lifestyle.
But exercise to improve your bone mass needs to be site-specific. For example, your hip and
lower back bone density will increase with walking or running, but the bone density of your
upper extremities will not change appreciably. The National Osteoporosis Foundation states
that if you're unable to perform high-impact weight-bearing exercise, such as jogging, you
should try low-impact weight-bearing exercises, such as walking or stair-climbing, instead.

According to Julis wolf, german

anatomist Weight bearing
activities such as running, brisk
walking, and weight lifting will
help strengthen your bones and
reduce break down.
This means if a bone experience high levels of compressive
stress throughout the day, the bone, over time, can adapt
to become stronger at resisting compression, and a bone
that deals with shearing forces will adapt by improving its
ability to resist shear.

It’s called Wolff’s Law! Your Multi-joint exercises (like squats, lunges, etc.) are important,
bones will adapt to the pressures (especially if you are a little older)  because they strengthen
placed upon them the hip joint, which is where most breaks from osteoporosis
occur

LIGAMENTS AND TENDONS

As described in a study by Wren et al. (2003)at Stanford University of the effect of certain types
of exercise on ligaments--which connect bones to one another--and tendons--which connect
muscles to bones--revealed that the cross-sectional area of both structures increases in response
to running and other load-bearing activities and, on the other hand decreases during periods of
inactivity. Therefore, increases in performance in sports such as marathon running can be at least
partly attributed to strengthening of connective-tissue elements as well as adaptations in muscle,
although the cellular mechanisms underlying these adaptations remain unclear.

CARTILAGE
The connective tissue found in joint spaces where bones meet each other--demonstrated that,
like bone, cartilage tends to weaken without regular loading. Unlike bone, however, cartilage
does not actually appear to thicken even in highly active people such as elite athletes, although
studies contradicting this observation exist. Researchers agree that there are vast differences in
cartilage thickness between individuals, but what remains unclear is whether exercise is a
significant contributor to this finding. Genetics are most likely the chief determining factor in
the response of an individual's cartilage to mechanical stress.

SHORT TERM & LONG TERMS RESPONCE OF EXERCISES ON THE MUSCULAR

SYSTEM
 Short Term
Regular and routine exercise is a vital component of sustainable health. Although exercise also
provides benefits to the cardiovascular and skeletal systems, the primary benefit of regular
training is felt by the muscular system.

BLOOD VESSELS
Exercise, both strength and aerobic training, increase blood flow to the muscles. Increased
blood flow gets nutrients and waste to and from the muscles quickly, allowing them to function
more efficiently. Extended training increases the number of capillaries supplying blood flow to
the muscles, therefore further increasing blood flow and improving muscle function.

INCREASE OF MUSCLE TEMPERATURE

The increased blood flow to the muscles raises their temperature. Warm muscles contract and
stretch more readily than cold muscles. Warm muscles are more resistant to injury and are
capable of producing greater force over a wider range of movement. This is why it is important
to warm up prior to a vigorous activity or workout

RESPIRATION AND OXYGEN

To produce energy to perform exercise your skeletal muscle cells use either anaerobic or
aerobic metabolism. Anaerobic metabolism is the production of energy without oxygen. This
usually occurs at the onset of exercise or whenever your blood has not supplied enough oxygen
for the intensity of your activity. Most activity relies on aerobic metabolism. This is the
production of energy through a complex process that takes place inside the mitochondria of the
cell. Your body uses either glucose or fat converted into a usable form to produce a molecule
known as ATP. The ATP is generated by converting glycogen to lactic acid which is a toxic
substance that can only be removed from the body by the supply of further oxygen to the
affected tissues. The muscles use the ATP molecule to facilitate the movement that occurs in
the sliding filament theory of contraction.

FATIGUE –

Muscle fatigue is short term decline in the ability of a muscle to generate force. Another way to
describe muscle fatigue is as the short term inability to continue to repeat muscular
contractions with the same force.

EXHAUSTION

When exercise continues through muscle fatigue after time it can lead to muscle
exhaustion.
 Long term effects

The muscular system benefits from regular exercise.  This includes the involuntary muscles
(internal muscles around our organs that keep our body functioning) and voluntary muscles
(muscles we use to create movement).  As well as the skeletal muscles contracting to create
movement they are also important to create stability and maintain good posture.  When you
train muscles they become stronger and grow in size.

INCREASED MUSCLE SIZE- MUSCLES FIBRES

When exercising muscle using the principle of progressive overload, for example with weights,
applies varying levels of stress to the skeletal muscles.  As you exercise the muscles, fibres
become damaged as they are put under stress.  The tiny muscle fibres are pulled apart.  The
body repairs these damages when we rest and build the fibres back slightly stronger.  This is
why it is important to allow the body time to rest and recover fully.  

As muscles repair the resulting increase in muscle mass is known as muscle hypertrophy. Your
muscle fibers can increase in cross-sectional size between 20 and 45 percent. However, it will
take at least 16 regular exercise sessions before you begin to see any change in muscle growth,
according to Len Kravitz, PhD, of the University of New Mexico. Thicker muscles can contract
more strongly.  So regular exercise increase muscle size and strength.    

CAPILLARISATION

Capillary thickness refers to the number of capillaries that stimulate a muscle. Capillaries are
the smallest blood vessels that supply a working muscle with oxygen-rich blood and remove
harmful carbon dioxide. With regular exercise, your muscles can increase capillary density; an
increase in 5 to 20 percent may appear within 12 weeks of regular exercise. Greater adaptation
will be evident in the long-term. This adaptation allows for greater endurance in working
muscles.

 Muscular strength - ability to lift or move a maximum weight in one attempt –e.g: scrumming
or tackling in rugby) Usual resistance exercise with overload, or a progressive increase in weight
or resistance, can cause your muscles to gain strength. Your muscles will adapt to whatever types
of strength you need. For example, athletes like shot putters may need speed strength to produce
a large amount of force in a short period. Whatever overload stimulus you give your muscles --
as long as you train specifically for your sport or activity -- will result in necessary strength gains

Muscular endurance - muscles’ ability to keep working for long  periods of time without tiring –
e.g: playing a 90-minute football match)

Exercising regularly produces a firmer looking body and a better posture.   

 REFERENCE:

"Journal of Anatomy"; The effects of exercise on human articular cartilage; F. Eckstein et al.;
April 2006 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2100201/)
University of Maryland Medical Center: Exercise's Effects on Bones and Muscles
(http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/what_effects_on_muscles_bones_joints_000029_5.htm)

Principles of Anatomy & Physiology, Ninth Edition"; Sandra R. Grabowski & Gerald J. Tortora;
2000 (http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Anatomy-Physiology-Ninth-Edition/dp/0471366927)

Sports Injuries: Their Prevention and Treatment, Third Edition [Kindle Edition]
(http://www.amazon.com/Sports-Injuries-Prevention-Treatment-
ebook/dp/B000Q66IYU#reader_B000Q66IYU)
Resistance Training: Adaptations and Health Implications
By Len Kravitz, Ph.D (http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/resistben.html)