Definition

The skeletal system is our body’s central framework. It consists of bones

and connective tissue, including cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. It’s also
called the musculoskeletal system. (Skeletal System, n.d.)
(The skeleton is the framework of the body. The body would be without form, and it would
even be impossible to walk upright.

The human body is a well-designed system in which form, upright posture, and movement are
provided by the musculoskeletal system. This system also pr tects the vital internal organs of
the body The term musculoskeletal refers to the bones and voluntary muscles of the body.

Overview

◦ Consists of 206 bones, cartilage, tensons, and ligaments in the

body.
◦ (SEARCH ABOUT HOW MANY BONES BABIES HAVE TO COMAPARE
WITH ADULT’S 206)
◦ To give shape and structure to the body and provide support.
◦ To allow movement. (WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF OUT JOINTS)
◦ To protect internal organs. (LIKE THE BRAIN, OR IN OUR CHEST,
THE HEART LUNGS)
◦ To store calcium and other minerals (bone)
◦ To produce certain blood cells (bone marrow)

* Bones can be classified into five major categories:

1 Long bones: femur (thigh bone), humerus
2 Short bones: bones in the wrist or ankle.
3 Flat bones: bones in the skull.
4 Irregular bones: pelvic bones, vertebrae and some facial bones.
5 Sesamoid bones: the kneecap, or patella.
MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY
◦ Prefix: A prefix is placed at the beginning of a word to modify or
change its meaning. Pre means "before". Prefixes indicate a location,
number, or time.
◦ Root: Central part of a word, containing basic meaning of the term.
Suffix: The ending part of a word that modifies the meaning of the
word.

Function

Bone provides shape and support for the body, as well as protection for
some organs (such as the brain, heart, and lungs).

Bone also serves as a storage site for minerals and provides the medium—
marrow—for the development and storage of blood cells.

The skeletal system has many functions. Besides giving us our human
shape and features, it:

 Allows movement: Your skeleton supports your body weight to help

you stand and move. Joints, connective tissue and muscles work
together to make your body parts mobile.
 Produces blood cells: Bones contain bone marrow. Red and white
blood cells are produced in the bone marrow.
 Protects and supports organs: Your skull shields your brain, your
ribs protect your heart and lungs, and your backbone protects your
spine.
 Stores minerals: Bones hold your body’s supply of minerals like
calcium and vitamin D.

What are the parts of the skeletal system?

There are 206 bones in the human skeleton, not including teeth and sesamoid
bones (small bones found within cartilage):

 80 axial bones. This includes the head, facial, hyoid, auditory, trunk, ribs,
and sternum.
 126 appendicular bones. This includes arms, shoulders, wrists, hands,
legs, hips, ankles, and feet.

Anatomy

Axial vs Appendicular Skeleton

(80 AXIAL BONES & 126 APPENDICULAR BONES)

Axial forms the main trunk of the body

Consist of the skull, spinal column, ribs and sternum

Appendicular (forms the extremities of the body)

Consist of shoulder girdle, arm bones, pelvic girdle, Leg bones

Three Layers of the bone

 Periosteum: The periosteum is a tough membrane that covers and

protects the outside of the bone.
 Compact bone: Below the periosteum, compact bone is white, hard,
and smooth. It provides structural support and protection.
 Spongy bone: The core, the inner layer of the bone is softer than
compact bone. It has small holes called pores to store marrow.
 Bone Marrow: Bone marrow is the soft, fatty tissue inside of the
bones in your body. Bone marrow contains cells that produce
blood cells and platelets and it is responsible for making billions
of new blood cells each day.
Head (ONE OF THE MAJOR FUNCTIONS OF OUR SKULL IS TO PROTECT OUR
BRAIN FROM ANY UNTOWARDS INJURY. LETS DIVIDE THE BONES IN OUR
HEAD IN TWO MAJOR AREAS, THE SKULL AND THE FACIAL BONES.

Neck

Back/Flank

Spine (7 CERVICAL, 12 THORACIC, 5 LUMBAR, 5 SACRAL,

The thoracic cage protects the heart, lungs, and great vessels; the lower ribs protect
the Iiver and spleen. The bony spinal canal encases and protects the spinal cord.

Abdomen

Shoulder

pectoral girdle, also referred to as the shoulder girdle consists of two scapulae
and two clavicles. The scapula(shoulderblade)is a flat, triangular bone held
to the rib cage by powerful muscles that buffer it against injury The clavicle
(collarbone) is a slender, S-shaped bone attached by ligaments to the sternum on one
end and to the acromion process on the other. The clavicle acts as a strut to keep
the shoulder propped up, however, because it is slender and very exposed, this bone
is vulnerable to injury.

Humerus

Forearm and Wrist

The upper extremity extends from the shoulder to the fingertips and is
composed of the arm (humerus), elbow, forearm (radius and ulna), wrist, hand, and
fingers.

The arm exrends from the shoulder to the elbow. The upper extremity joins the
shoulder girdle at the glenohumeral joint. At the other end of the gie- nohumeral
joint is the humerus. The humerus connects with the bones of the forearm-rhe
radius and ulna-to form the hinged elbow joint.
The radius and ulna make up the forearm. the larger of the two
The radius,
forearm bones, lies on the thumb side of the forearm. The ulna is narrow and is on
the little-finger side of the forearm. Because rhe radius and the ulna are parallel,
when one rs broken, the other is often broken as well.

Hand and Fingers

The hand contains three sets of bones: wrist (carpals), hand bones
bones
(metacarpals), and
fnger bones The carpals are mlnerable to fracture when a
person falls on an outstretched hand. Phalanges are more apt to be injured by a
crushing injury such as being slammed in a car door.

Pelvis and Hip Joint

The pelvis supports the body weight and protects the structures within the pelvis:
the bladder, rectum, and female reproductive organs. The pelvic girdle is actually
bones-the ischium, ilium, and pubis- fused together to form the
three separate
innominate bone. The two ihac bones are joined posteriorly by tough
ligaments to the sacrum at the sacroiliac joints; the two pubic bones are connected
anteriorly by equally tough iigaments to one another at the pubic s1'rnphysis. These
joints allow very little motion, so the pelvic ring is strong and stable.

Femur and Knee Joint

The femur (thigh bone) is a long, powerful bone that connects in the ball-and-socket
joint joint of the knee. The head of. the femur is the ball-
of the pelvis and in the hinge
shaped part that fits into the acetabu- lum and is a common fracture point. It is
connected to the shat't, or long tubular poftion of the femur, by the femoral nech. The
femoral neck is a common site for fractures, gen- erally referred to as hip fractures,
especially in the older population. The greater trochanter is the name given to the
upper part of the femur, and the lesser trochanter is the name given to the lower part
of the femur.
Leg (Tibia and Fibula) and Ankle Joint

The lower leg consists of two bones, the tibia and the fibula. The tibia (shin
bone) connects to the patella (kneecap) to form the knee joint and runs down the
front of the lower leg. The tibia is vulnerable to direct blows and can be felt just
beneath the skin. The much smaller fibula runs behind and beside the tibia. The
fibula is not a component of the knee joint, but it does make up the outer knob of
the ankle joint.

Foot and Toes

The foot consists ofthree classes ofbones: anhlebones (tarsals),
Joot bones
(metatarsals), and toe bones (phalan- g.r)

The largest of the tarsal bones is the heel bone, or calcaneus, which is subject to
injury when a person jumps from a height and lands on the feet.

The bones of the skeleton provide a framework to which the muscles and tendons
are attached. Bone is a living tissue that contains nerves and receives oxygen and
nutrients from the arterial system. Therefore, when a bone breaks, a patient
tlpically experiences severe pain and bleeding. Bone marrow, located in the center of
each bone, is constantly producing red blood cells to provide oxygen and
nourishment to the body and remove waste.

A joint is formed wherever two bones come into contact. The sternoclavicular joint, for
example, is where the sternum and the clavicle come together. Jolnts are held together in a
tough fibrous structure known as a capsule, which is supported and strengthened in certain
key areas by bands of fibrous tissue called ligaments. ln moving joints, the ends of
the bones are covered with a thin layer of cartilage known as articular cartilage.
This cartilage is a pearly substance that allows the ends of the bones to glide easily.
Joints are bathed and lubricated by synovial (joint) fluid.

Some joints, such as the shoulder, allow motion to occur in a circular manner. Other
joints, such as the knee and elbow, act as hinges. Still other joints, including the
sacroiliac joint in the lower back and the sternoclavicular
joints, allow only a minimum amount of motion. Cer- tain joints, such as the
sutures in the skull (presenr unril about lB months of life), fuse together during
growrh ro create a solid, immobile, bony structu..

Conditions and Disorders

Arthritic Disorders

- OSTEOARTHRITIS (PROGRESSIVE JOINT DISEASE, loss of joint cartilage with a subsequent thickening
(hypertrophy) of bones of the affected joint and results in severe joint pain and swelling)

- RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (autoimmune disease in which a person pro- duces abnormal antibodies that attack his
or her own normal joint tissues and structures. This produces joint swelling, joint pain, fever, and joint deformity/
AFFECTS SMALLER JOINTS IN THE HANDS AND FEET)

- GOUTY ARTHRITIS (excessive uric acid-containing salt crystals that damage the (articular) cartilage of the joint
and cause inflammation.///PAIN IN THE BIG TOE IS ONE OF THE CLASSIC SYMPTOMS OF GOUT.

Bone

Types of Fractures
(STRESS FRACTURES- Overuse or repetitive jarring of the bone causes stress fractures. In contrast to acute
traumatic injuries, stress fractures are the result of unaccustomed stren- uous activity such as running or marching
long distances.)

OSTEOMYELITIS- SO FROM THE WORD IT SELD, OSTEO MEANS BONES, MYE MEANS, ITIES
MEANS INFLAMMATION THAT IS CAUSE D BY BACTERIAL INFECTION)

NECROTIZING FASCITIS- ( SEVERE INFECTION OF THE FASCIA

COSTOCHONDRITIS- INFLAMMATION OF THE COSTOCHONDIAL JUCNTION BETEEN THE

STERNUM AND THE RIBS

BACK AND SPINE DISORDERS

HERNIATED DISK/SLIPPES DISK/RUPTURED DISK

Medical Terminology: Prefix, Root Word, Suffix

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Type of lesions
Terms- benign malignant