Human musculoskeletal system

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A musculoskeletal system (also known as the locomotor system) is an organ system that gives animals (including humans) the ability to move using the muscular and skeletal systems. The musculoskeletal system provides form, support, stability, and movement to the body. It is made up of the body's bones (the skeleton), muscles, cartilage,
[1]

tendons, ligaments, joints, and

other connective tissue that supports and binds tissues and organs together. The musculoskeletal system's primary functions include supporting the body, allowing motion, and protecting vital organs.
[2]

The skeletal portion of the system serves as the main storage system
[3]

for calcium and phosphorus and contains critical components of the hematopoietic system.

This system describes how bones are connected to other bones and muscle fibers via connective tissue such as tendons and ligaments. The bones provide the stability to a body in analogy to iron rods in concrete construction. Muscles keep bones in place and also play a role in movement of the bones. To allow motion, different bones are connected by joints. Cartilage prevents the bone ends from rubbing directly on to each other. Muscles contract (bunch up) to move the bone attached at the joint. There are, however, diseases and disorders that may adversely affect the function and overall effectiveness of the system. These diseases can be difficult to diagnose due to the close relation of the musculoskeletal system to other internal systems. The musculoskeletal system refers to the system having its muscles attached to an internal skeletal system and is necessary for humans to move to a more favorable position. Complex issues and injuries involving the musculoskeletal system are usually handled by a physiatrist (specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) or an orthopaedic surgeon.
Contents [hide]

1 Subsystems

1.1 Skeletal

1.1.1 Function

1.2 Muscular

1.2.1 Contraction initiation 1.2.2 Tendons

1.3 Joints, ligaments, and bursae

1.3.1 Joints 1.3.2 Ligaments 1.3.3 Bursa

2 Diseases and disorders

3 References

[edit]Subsystems [edit]Skeletal Main article: Human skeleton

Front view of a skeleton of an adult human

The Skeletal System serves many important functions; it provides the shape and form for our bodies in addition to supporting, protecting, allowing bodily movement, producingblood for the body, and storing minerals.
[4]

The number of bones in the human skeletal system is a controversial topic. Humans are born

with about 300 to 350 bones; however, many bones fuse together between birth and maturity. As a result an average adult skeleton consists of 206 bones. The number of bones varies according to the method used to derive the count. While some consider certain structures to be a single bone with multiple parts, others may see it as a single part with multiple bones.
[5]

There are five general classifications of bones.

These are Long bones, Short bones, Flat bones, Irregular bones, and Sesamoid bones. The human skeleton is composed of both fused and individual bones supported by ligaments, tendons, muscles and cartilage. It is a complex structure with two distinct divisions. These are the axial skeleton and theappendicular skeleton.
[6]

[edit]Function The Skeletal System serves as a framework for tissues and organs to attach themselves to. This system acts as a protective structure for vital organs. Major examples of this are the brain being protected by the skull and the lungs being protected by the rib cage. Located in long bones are two distinctions of bone marrow (yellow and red). The yellow marrow has fatty connective tissue and is found in the marrow cavity. During starvation, the body uses the fat in yellow marrow for energy. destroyed by the liver.
[4] [7]

The red marrow of some bones is an important site for blood cell production,

approximately 2.6 million red blood cells per second in order to replace existing cells that have been Here all erythrocytes, platelets, and most leukocytes form in adults. From the red marrow, erythrocytes, platelets, and leukocytes migrate to the blood to do their special tasks. Another function of bones is the storage of certain minerals. Calcium and phosphorus are among the main minerals being stored. The importance of this storage "device" helps to regulate mineral balance in the bloodstream. When the fluctuation of minerals is high, these minerals are stored in bone; when it is low it will be withdrawn from the bone. [edit]Muscular Main article: muscle

Types of muscle and their appearance

There are three types of musclescardiac, skeletal, and smooth. Smooth muscles are used to control the flow of substances within the lumens of hollow organs, and are not consciously controlled. Skeletal and cardiac muscles have striations that are visible under a microscope due to the components within their cells. Only skeletal and smooth muscles are part of the musculoskeletal system and only the skeletal muscles can move the body. Cardiac muscles are found in the heart and are used only to circulate blood; like the smooth muscles, these muscles are not under conscious control. Skeletal muscles are attached to bones and arranged in opposing groups around joints. Muscles are innervated, to communicate nervous energy to,
[9] [8]

by nerves, which conduct electrical currents from the central nervous system and
[10]

cause the muscles to contract.

[edit]Contraction initiation Main article: muscle contraction In mammals, when a muscle contracts, a series of reactions occur. Muscle contraction is stimulated by the motor neuron sending a message to the muscles from the somatic nervous system. Depolarization of the motor neuron results in neurotransmitters being released from the nerve terminal. The space between the nerve terminal and the musclecell is called the neuromuscular junction. These neurotransmitters diffuse across the synapse and bind to specific receptor sites on the cell membrane of the muscle fiber. When enough receptors are stimulated, an action potential is generated and the permeability of the sarcolemma is altered. This process is known as initiation. [edit]Tendons Main article: tendon A tendon is a tough, flexible band of fibrous connective tissue that connects muscles to bones.
[12] [11]

The

extra-cellular connective tissue between muscle fibers binds to tendons at the distal & proximal ends, and the tendon binds to the periosteum of individual bones at the muscle's origin & insertion. As muscles contract, tendons transmit the forces to the rigid bones, pulling on them and causing movement. Tendons can stretch substantially, allowing them to function as springs during locomotion, thereby saving energy.

[edit]Joints, [edit]Joints

ligaments, and bursae

Main article: joint

Human synovial joint composition

Joints are structures that connect individual bones and may allow bones to move against each other to cause movement. There are two divisions of joints, diarthroses which allow extensive mobility between two or more articular heads, and false joints or synarthroses, joints that are immovable, that allow little or no movement and are predominantlyfibrous. Synovial joints, joints that are not directly joined, are lubricated by a solution called synovial Fluid that is produced by the synovial membranes. This fluid lowers thefriction between the articular surfaces and is kept within an articular capsule, binding the joint with its taut tissue. [edit]Ligaments Main article: ligament A ligament is a small band of dense, white, fibrous elastic tissue.
[6] [6]

Ligaments connect the ends of bones

together in order to form a joint. Most ligaments limit dislocation, or prevent certain movements that may cause breaks. Since they are only elastic they increasingly lengthen when under pressure. When this occurs the ligament may be susceptible to break resulting in an unstable joint. Ligaments may also restrict some actions: movements such as hyper extension and hyper flexion are restricted by ligaments to an extent. Also ligaments prevent certain directional movement. [edit]Bursa Main article: bursa (anatomy) A bursa is a small fluid-filled sac made of white fibrous tissue and lined with synovial membrane. Bursa may also be formed by a synovial membrane that extends outside of thejoint capsule. fluid and are found around almost every major joint of the body.
[7] [13]

It provides a

cushion between bones and tendons and/or muscles around a joint; bursa are filled with synovial

[edit]Diseases

and disorders

Further information: Musculoskeletal disorders, Rheumatology, and Orthopedic surgery

Disability-adjusted life year formusculoskeletal diseases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2004.[14] no data less than 400 400-450 450-500 500-550 550-600 600-650 650-700 700-850 850-900 900-925 925-950 more than 950

Because many other body systems, including the vascular, nervous, and integumentary systems, are interrelated, disorders of one of these systems may also affect the musculoskeletal system and complicate the diagnosis of the disorder's origin. Diseases of the musculoskeletal system mostly encompass functional disorders or motion discrepancies; the level of impairment depends specifically on the problem and its severity. Articular (of or pertaining to the joints)
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disorders are the most common. deficits,

However, also among the diagnoses are: primary muscular diseases, neurologic (related to the medical science that deals with the nervous system and disorders affecting it)
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toxins, endocrine abnormalities, metabolic disorders, infectious diseases, blood and vascular disorders, and nutritional imbalances. Disorders of muscles from another body system can bring about irregularities such as: impairment of ocular motion and control, respiratory dysfunction, and bladder malfunction. Complete paralysis, paresis, or ataxiamay be caused by primary muscular dysfunctions of infectious or toxic origin; however, the primary disorder is usually related to the nervous system, with the muscular system acting as the effector organ, an organ capable of responding to a stimulus, especially a nerve impulse.
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One understated disorder that begins during pregnancy is Pelvic girdle pain,
[17]

it is complex and multi-factorial and likely to be also represented by a series of sub-groups driven by pain varying from peripheral or central nervous system, tendinous/ligamentous structures
[19]

altered laxity/stiffness of muscles,

[17]

[18]

laxity to injury of

to mal-adaptive body mechanics.

[edit]References

1. 2. 3.

^ MeSH Musculoskeletal+System ^ Mooar, Pekka (2007). "Muscles". Merck Manual. Retrieved 2008-11-12. ^
a b

Kahn, Cynthia; Scott Line (2008). Musculoskeletal System Introduction: Introduction. NJ, USA: Merck &

Co., Inc.. 4. 5. ^
a b

Applegate, Edith; Kent Van De Graaff. "The Skeletal System". Retrieved 2009-01-03.

^ Engelbert, Phillis; Carol DeKane Nagel (2009). "The Human Body / How Many Bones Are In The Human Body?". UXL Science Fact Finder. eNotes.com, Inc.. Retrieved 2009-01-24.

6. 7. 8. 9.

^ ^

a b c a b

Gary, Farr (2002-06-25). "The Musculoskeletal System". Retrieved 2008-11-18.

"Skeletal System". 2001. Retrieved 2009-01-08.

^ Mooar, Pekka (2007). "Muscles". The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. Retrieved 2008-11-16. ^ "innervated". Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, LLC.. 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-03.

10. ^ Brny, Michael (2002). "SMOOTH MUSCLE". Retrieved 2008-11-19. 11. ^ "The Mechanism of Muscle Contraction". Principles of Meat Science (4th Edition). Retrieved 2008-11-18. 12. ^ Jonathan, Cluett (2008). "Tendons". Retrieved 2008-11-19. 13. ^ Bridwell, Keith (06/07/2008). "Ligaments". Retrieved 2009-03-16. 14. ^ "WHO Disease and injury country estimates". World Health Organization. 2009. Retrieved Nov. 11, 2009. 15. ^ "articular". Random House Unabridged Dictionary. Random House, Inc.. 2006. Retrieved 2008-11-15. 16. ^ "neurologic". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company. 2006. Retrieved 2008-11-15. 17. ^
a b

Diagnosis and classification of pelvic girdle pain disorders Part 1: A mechanism based approach

within a bio psychosocial framework. Manual Therapy, Volume 12, Issue 2, May 2007, PB. OSullivan and DJ Beales. 18. ^ European guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pelvic girdle pain. Eur Spine J. 2008 Feb 8, A Vleeming, HB Albert, HC Ostgaard, B Sturesson, B Stuge. 19. ^ Possible role of the long dorsal sacroiliac ligament in women with peripartum pelvic pain. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, Volume 81, Issue 5 , Page 430-436, May 2002, A Vleeming, HJ de Vries, JM Mens, J-P van Wingerden
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Human systems and organs

Skeletal system TA 24: MS

Bone (Carpus Collar bone (clavicle) Thigh bone (femur) Fibula Humerus Mandible Metacarpus Metatarsus Ossicles Patella Phalanges Radius S

Joints Fibrous joint Cartilaginous joint Synovial joint Muscular system Muscle Tendon Diaphragm mostly Thoracic Respiratory system URT (Nose, Nasopharynx, Larynx) LRT (Trachea, Bronchus, Lung)

TA 511: splanchnic/ viscus

mostly Abdominopelvic

Digestive system+ Mouth (Salivary gland, Tongue) upper GI (Oropharynx, Laryngopharynx, Esoph adnexa tract, Pancreas) GU: Urinary system Kidney Ureter Bladder Urethra

GU: Reproductive system Female (Uterus, Vulva, Ovary, Placenta) Male (Scrotum, Penis, Prostate, Testicl Endocrine system Pituitary Pineal Thyroid Parathyroid Adrenal Islets of Langerhans Circulatory system TA 1216 Cardiovascular system peripheral (Artery, Vein, Lymphatic vessel) Heart Lymphatic system primary (Bone marrow, Thymus) secondary (Spleen, Lymph node)

Nervous system (Brain, Spinal cord, Nerve) Sensory system (Ear, Eye) Integumentary system Skin Subcutaneous tissue Breast (Mammary gland) Blood (Non-TA) Myeloid Myeloid immune system Lymphoid Lymphoid immune system General anatomy: systems and organs, regional anatomy, planes and lines, superficial

Normal Structure and Function of the Musculoskeletal System

A basic primer on bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, and cartilages The skeletal system includes the bones of the skeleton and the cartilages, ligaments, and other connective tissue that stabilize or connect the bones. In addition to supporting the weight of the body, bones work together with muscles to maintain body position and to produce controlled, precise movements. Without the skeleton to pull against, contracting muscle fibers could not make us sit, stand, walk, or run.

Bones
There are 206 bones in the adult body. The bones of the body perform five main functions.

Provide support for the body The skeletal system provides structural support for the entire body. Individual bones or groups of bones provide a framework for the attachment of soft tissues and organs. Store minerals and lipids Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body. (Ninety-nine percent of the body's calcium is found in the skeleton.) The calcium salts of bone are a valuable mineral reserve that maintains normal concentrations of calcium and phosphate ions in body fluids. The bones of the skeleton also store energy reserves as lipids in areas filled with yellow marrow. Produce blood cells Red blood cells, white blood cells, and other blood elements are produced in the red marrow, which fills the internal cavities of many bones. Protect body organs Many soft tissues and organs are surrounded by skeletal elements. For example, the rib cage protects the heart and lungs, the skull protects the brain, the vertebrae protect the spinal cord, and the pelvis protects the delicate reproductive organs. Provide leverage and movement Many bones function as levers that can change the magnitude and direction of the forces generated by muscles.

Bone structure
Each bone in the skeleton contains two forms of tissue: compact (dense) bone that is relatively solid and spongy (cancellous) bone that forms an open network of struts and plates. Compact bone is found on the external surface of the bone. Spongy bone is located inside the bone. The proportion of compact and spongy bone varies with the shape of the bone. Compact bone is thickest where stresses arrive from a limited range of directions. Spongy bone is located where bones are not heavily stressed or where

stresses arrive from many directions. Spongy bone is much lighter than compact bone, which helps reduce the weight of the skeleton and makes it easier for muscles to move the bones.

Bone development and growth

joint

The growth of the skeleton determines the size and proportions of the body. Bones begin to form in a mother's womb about six weeks after fertilization, and portions of the skeleton do not stop growing until about the age of 25. Most bones originate as hyaline cartilage. The cartilage is gradually converted to bone through a process called ossification. Bone growth begins at the center of the cartilage. As bones enlarge, bone growth activity shifts to the ends of the bones (an area commonly called the growth plate), which results in an increase in bone length.

Bone growth "factoids"

Twenty percent of the adult skeleton is replaced each year. Moderate amounts of physical activity and weight-bearing activities are essential to stimulate bone maintenance and to maintain adequate bone strength.

Other elements of the musculoskeletal system

Joints These are where two bones interconnect. Each joint reflects a compromise between stability and range of motion. For example, the bones of the skull are very stable but immobile, whereas the shoulder joint allows for a full range of motion but is a relatively unstable joint.

tendons

Tendons These attach muscle to bone. Ligaments These attach bone to bone. Skeletal muscles These muscles contract to pull on tendons and move the bones of the skeleton. In addition to producing skeletal movement, muscles also maintain posture and body position, support soft tissues, guard entrances and exits to the digestive and urinary tracts, and maintain body temperature. Nerves Nerves control the contraction of skeletal muscles, interprets sensory information, and coordinates the activities of the body's organ systems. Cartilage This is a type of connective tissue. It is a firm gel-like substance. The body contains three major types of cartilage: hyaline cartilage, elastic cartilage, and fibrocartilage. Hyaline cartilage is the most common type of cartilage. This type of cartilage provides stiff but somewhat flexible support. Examples in adults include the tips of ribs (where they meet the sternum) and part of the nasal septum. Another example is articular cartilage, which is cartilage that covers the ends of bones within a joint. The surfaces of articular cartilage are slick and smooth, which reduces friction during joint movement.

ligaments

Elastic cartilage provides support but can tolerate distortion without damage and return to its original shape. The external flap of the ear is one place where elastic cartilage can be found. Fibrocartilage resists compression, prevents bone-to-bone contact, and limits relative movement. Fibrocartilage can be found within the knee joint, between the pubic bones of the pelvis, and between the spinal vertebrae. Cartilage heals poorly, and damaged fibrocartilage in joints such as the knee can interfere with normal movements. The knee contains both hyaline cartilage and fibrocartilage. The hyaline cartilage covers bony surfaces and fibrocartilage pads in the joint prevent contact between bones during movement. Injuries to the joints can produce tears in the fibrocartilage pads, and the tears do not heal. Eventually, joint mobility is severely reduced. Copyright 1995-2009 The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. All rights reserved.