The skeletal system is a very important part of a human’s body. Without the skeletal system, we would not be able to move. The skeletal system is made up of mostly bone, but also tendons, ligaments and cartilage, which are arranged into a solid structure that supports and protects the body. We will look at the skeletal system in more detail covering, the functions, bone structure, bone classification, joint classification and diseases that affect the skeletal system.
The skeletal system has five main functions. One function is movement; the skeletal system allows movement and the attachment of muscles, the muscles that are attached to the skeleton are called skeletal muscles. The muscles pull upon the bones during contraction, this results in the movement serving as an operated lever. With regards to support, the skeletal system supports the body by providing a frame for the attachment of other organs and tissues. The skeletal system also stores calcium and phosphate ions within the bone tissue and fat within the yellow marrow. This is important in the case of a nutritional deficiency when a person has a nutritional deficiency the body is able to draw upon the reserves. In addition to this, the skeletal system is the site for hemopoiesis, red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets are produced in the red bone marrow. The last function is for protection, the skeletal system protects the soft and delicate internal organs, for example, the ribs protecting the lungs and heart (Scott and Fong, 2003). The skeleton is divided into two regions: the appendicular and axial. The blue areas on the two diagrams here show the areas of the skeleton which relate to the two different regions. The appendicular skeleton includes the appendages such as the arms, legs and pelvis. There are a hundred and twenty-six …show more content…
The matrix is made up of twenty-five per cent water, twenty-five per cent collagen fibres and fifty per cent crystallised mineral salts. There are four types of varieties of cells present; osteogenic cells, osteoblasts, osteocytes and osteoclasts. A bone is not entirely solid, it has small spaces between the cells and extracellular matrix. Some spaces act as channels for blood vessels that supply bone cells with nutrients. Other spaces act as storage areas for red bone marrow. The regions of a bone may be categorised as spongy and compact depending on the size and distribution of the spaces. In general, around eighty per cent of the skeleton is compact bone and twenty per cent is spongy bone (Tortoar and Derrickson, 2009). There are two types of bone tissues; compact and spongy. Compact bone tissue is hard and dense; it provides strength, support and protection. It forms the outer layer of all bones and most of the shaft of long bones such as the femur. Compact bone looks like honeycomb when examined microscopically and is found to consist of Haversian systems (Gould, 2005). In comparison, spongy bone has a spongy appearance to the naked eye. When examined under a microscope the Haversian canals are seen to be much larger than the compact bone. The spaces in spongy bone are filled with red bone marrow, which consists of fat and blood cells and in which red blood cells are made (Watson, 2011). Spongy bone is found at the end of long bones and in short, flat and irregularly shaped bones (Gould,
The skeletal system has five main functions. One function is movement; the skeletal system allows movement and the attachment of muscles, the muscles that are attached to the skeleton are called skeletal muscles. The muscles pull upon the bones during contraction, this results in the movement serving as an operated lever. With regards to support, the skeletal system supports the body by providing a frame for the attachment of other organs and tissues. The skeletal system also stores calcium and phosphate ions within the bone tissue and fat within the yellow marrow. This is important in the case of a nutritional deficiency when a person has a nutritional deficiency the body is able to draw upon the reserves. In addition to this, the skeletal system is the site for hemopoiesis, red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets are produced in the red bone marrow. The last function is for protection, the skeletal system protects the soft and delicate internal organs, for example, the ribs protecting the lungs and heart (Scott and Fong, 2003). The skeleton is divided into two regions: the appendicular and axial. The blue areas on the two diagrams here show the areas of the skeleton which relate to the two different regions. The appendicular skeleton includes the appendages such as the arms, legs and pelvis. There are a hundred and twenty-six …show more content…
The matrix is made up of twenty-five per cent water, twenty-five per cent collagen fibres and fifty per cent crystallised mineral salts. There are four types of varieties of cells present; osteogenic cells, osteoblasts, osteocytes and osteoclasts. A bone is not entirely solid, it has small spaces between the cells and extracellular matrix. Some spaces act as channels for blood vessels that supply bone cells with nutrients. Other spaces act as storage areas for red bone marrow. The regions of a bone may be categorised as spongy and compact depending on the size and distribution of the spaces. In general, around eighty per cent of the skeleton is compact bone and twenty per cent is spongy bone (Tortoar and Derrickson, 2009). There are two types of bone tissues; compact and spongy. Compact bone tissue is hard and dense; it provides strength, support and protection. It forms the outer layer of all bones and most of the shaft of long bones such as the femur. Compact bone looks like honeycomb when examined microscopically and is found to consist of Haversian systems (Gould, 2005). In comparison, spongy bone has a spongy appearance to the naked eye. When examined under a microscope the Haversian canals are seen to be much larger than the compact bone. The spaces in spongy bone are filled with red bone marrow, which consists of fat and blood cells and in which red blood cells are made (Watson, 2011). Spongy bone is found at the end of long bones and in short, flat and irregularly shaped bones (Gould,