THE SKELETAL SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION:
• The With its highly engineered joints, between the vertebrae and at the ends
the living skeleton is intimately of bones like the femur.
connected with the muscular system. Cartilage is a unique tissue type
• It provides a framework of stiff levers because it doesn't have blood vessels or
and stable plates that permits a nerves.
multitude of movements.
• The skeleton also integrates
functionally with the cardiovascular THE SKELETON PROTECTS VITAL
system. ORGANS
Protection – the bones of the skeleton
BONES, LIGAMENTS, AND protect the internal organs and reduce
CARTILAGES the risk of injury on impact.
For example, the cranium protects the
Bones
brain, the ribs offer protection to the
The skeletal system is composed of 206 heart and lungs, the vertebrae protect
bones, cartilage, and ligaments. Bones the spinal cord and the pelvis offers
are arranged to form structures. protection to the sensitive reproductive
• Skull organs.
• Thoracic cage
• Vertebral column or the spine
• Shoulder girdle and upper limbs INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE
• Pelvic girdle and lower limbs SKELETON, MUSCLES, AND
NERVES MOVE THE BODY
Ligaments How does the skeleton move?
Are bands of dense and fibrous
Muscles throughout the human body are
connective tissue that are key to the
attached to bones. Nerves around a
function of joints.
muscle can signal the muscle to move.
Cartilage When the nervous system sends
Is more flexible than bone but stiffer commands to skeletal muscles, the
than muscle. It helps give structure to muscles contract. That contraction
the larynx and nose. It is also found produces movement at the joints
between bones.
THE AXIAL AND APPENDICULAR • Irregular shaped bones - They
SKELETON often have a fairly complex shape,
which helps protect internal organs.
Bones of the appendicular skeleton For example, the vertebrae,
facilitate movement. irregular bones of the vertebral
(girdles, limbs) column, protect the spinal cord.
The irregular bones of the pelvis
Bones of the axial skeleton protect protect organs in the pelvic cavity.
internal organs.
(skull, vertebral column, thoracic cage)
BONES OF THE SKULL
The skull consists of the cranial bones
BONES CAN BE CLASSIFIED INTO
and the facial skeleton.
FIVE TYPES
Cranial bones - Compose the top and
Bones of the human skeletal system is
back of the skull and enclose the brain.
categorized by their shape and function
There are 8 cranial bones namely
into five types:
(Frontal, Parietal, Temporal, Occipital,
• Long bones - are mostly located in Zygomatic, Sphenoid, Ethmoid)
the appendicular skeleton. It
includes bones in the lower and
upper limbs. Facial Skeleton - The 14 bones of the
facial skeleton form the entrances to the
• Flat bones - can provide respiratory and digestive tracts.
protection, like a shield and can (Lacrimal bone, zygomatic, vomer,
also provide large areas of nasal, inferior nasal conchae, maxilla,
attachment for muscles. mandible, palatine)

• Sesamoid bones - are bones

embedded in tendons. These SKULL SUTURES
small, round bones are commonly In fetuses and newborn infants, cranial
found in the tendons of the hands, bones are connected by flexible fibrous
knees, and feet. Sesamoid bones sutures, including large regions of
function to protect tendons from fibrous membranes called fontanelles.
stress and wear.
These regions allow the skull to enlarge
to accommodate the growing brain.
• Short bones - Located in the wrist
and ankle joints, short bones As fontanelles close, sutures develop.
provide stability and some Skull sutures are immobile joints where
movement. cranial bones are connected with dense
fibrous tissue. The four major cranial VERTEBRAL COLUMN
sutures are:
The vertebral column is a flexible
• Lambdoid suture (between the column formed by a series of 24
occipital and parietal bones) vertebrae, plus the sacrum and coccyx.
• Coronal suture (between the frontal Commonly referred to as the spine, the
and parietal bones) vertebral column extends from the base
• Sagittal suture (between the two of the skull to the pelvis.
parietal bones)
• Squamous sutures (between the The spinal cord passes from the
temporal and parietal bones) foramen magnum of the skull through
the vertebral canal within the vertebral
column. The vertebral column is
INNER EAR BONES grouped into five regions:

Inside the petrous part of the temporal • Cervical spine (C01-C07),

bone are the three smallest bones of the • Thoracic spine (T01- T-12)
body: • Lumbar spine (L01-L05)
• Malleus • Sacral spine
• Incus • Coccygeal spine
• Stapes (this is the smallest bone
in the body !!)
FUNCTION OF THE SPINE
These three bones are called ossicles. The spine consists of 33 ring-like
They articulate with each other and bones called vertebrae.
transfer vibrations from the tympanic
membrane to the inner ear. With the S shape, it acts like a
spring and can flex when we are
LARYNGEAL SKELETON young and jump off of something.

The laryngeal skeleton, also known as If it was straight up and down, it

the larynx or voice box, is composed could break easily.
of nine cartilages. It is located between
the trachea and the root of the tongue. The bottom nine vertebrae are fused
The hyoid bone provides an anchor into two larger bones termed the
point. sacrum and the coccyx, leaving 26
movable components within the spine.
The movements of the laryngeal
skeleton both open and close the glottis
and regulate the degree of tension of
the vocal folds, which–when air is forced
through them– produce vocal sounds.
THORACIC CAGE JOINTS RANGE OF MOTION
The thoracic cage, formed by the ribs Joints can also be grouped together by
and sternum, protects internal organs their function into three ranges of motion
and gives attachment to muscles
involved in respiration and upper limb • Immovable joints
movement. • Joints that allow a slight
movement
The sternum consists of the manubrium, • Joints allowing full movement
body of the sternum, and xiphoid include many bone articulations in
process. the upper and lower limbs, such
as the elbow, shoulder, and ankle.
Ribs 1-7 are called true ribs because
they articulate directly to the sternum
Ribs 8-12 are known as false ribs. FIBROUS JOINTS
Most of these have thick connective
tissue between them which is why most
TYPES OF JOINTS IN THE HUMAN are immovable.
BODY
There are three types of fibrous joints:
Joints hold the skeleton together and
support movement. There are two ways (1) Sutures are nonmoving joints that
to categorize joints. connect bones of the skull.

The first is by joint function, also (2) The fibrous articulations between the
referred to as range of motion. teeth and the mandible or maxilla

The second way to categorize joints is (3) A syndesmosis is a joint in which a

by the material that holds the bones of ligament connects two bones, allowing
the joints together; that is an for a little movement
organization of joints by structure.

RANGE OF MOTION CARTILAGENOUS JOINTS

JOINTS
AND MATERIAL
Joints that unite bones with cartilage are
Skull sutures Immovable fibrous joints
called cartilaginous joints.
Full movement synovial
Knee There are two types of cartilaginous
capsule hinge joints
Some movement joints:
Vertebrae
cartilaginous joints
(1) A synchondrosis is an immovable
cartilaginous joint. One example is the
joint between the first pair of ribs and
the sternum.
(2) A symphysis consists of a These bones also provide
compressible fibro-cartilaginous pad that attachment for muscles that
connects two bones, such as the hip move the shoulders and
bones and the vertebrae. upper limbs.

SYNOVIAL JOINTS BONES OF THE UPPER LIMB

Synovial joints are characterized by the The upper limbs include the bones of
presence of a capsule between the two the arm (humerus), forearm (radius and
joined bones. ulna), wrist, and hand.
Bone surfaces at synovial joints are The only bone of the arm is the
protected by a coating of articular humerus, which articulates with the
cartilage. Synovial joints are often forearm bones–the radius and ulna–at
supported and reinforced by the elbow joint.
surrounding ligaments, which limit
The ulna is the larger of the two forearm
movement to prevent injury.
bones.
There are six types of synovial joints:
(1) Gliding joints
WRIST BONES
(2) Hinge joints
(3) A pivot joint which provides rotation. The wrist, or carpus, consists of eight
(4) A condyloid joint allows for circular carpal bones.
motion, flexion, and extension
One mnemonic to remember the carpal
(5) A saddle joint
bones is the sentence: Some Lovers Try
(6) The ball-and-socket joint such as in
Positions That They Can’t Handle.
the hip and shoulder
The eight carpal bones of the wrist are
the Scaphoid, Lunate, Triquetral,
Pisiform, Trapezoid, Trapezium,
SHOULDER GIRDLE Capitate, and Hamate.
The pectoral or shoulder
girdle consists of the
HAND BONES
scapulae and clavicles.
The hand includes:
The shoulder girdle connects 8 bones in the wrist
the bones of the upper limbs
to the axial skeleton. 5 bones that form the palm
14 bones that form the fingers and
thumb.
The wrist bones are called carpals. LOWER LIMB
The bones that form the palm of the The lower limbs include the bones of the
hand are called metacarpals. thigh, leg, and foot.
The phalanges are the bones of the The femur is the only bone of the thigh.
fingers. It is the biggest bone in the body!!!
It articulates with the two bones of the
leg–the larger tibia (commonly known as
PELVIC GIRDLE
the shin) and smaller fibula.
The pelvic girdle is a ring of bones
The thigh and leg bones articulate at the
attached to the vertebral column that
knee joint that is protected and
connects the bones of the lower limbs to
enhanced by the patella bone that
the axial skeleton.
supports the quadriceps tendon.
The pelvic girdle consists of the right
and left hip bones.
FOOT BONES
Each hip bone is a large, flattened, and
irregularly shaped fusion of three bones: The bones of the foot consist of:
• Tarsal bones of the ankle
• Ilium
• Phalanges that form the toes,
• Ischium
• Metatarsals that give the foot its
• Pubis
arch.
As in the hand, the foot has:
MALE AND FEMALE PELVIS • Five metatarsals
The female and male pelvises differ in • Five proximal phalanges
several ways due to childbearing • Five distal phalanges
adaptations in the female. • Only four middle phalanges (as the
foot’s “big toe” has only two
The female pelvic brim is larger and phalanges).
wider than the males.
The angle of the pubic arch is greater in
the female pelvis (over 90 degrees) than ANKLE BONES
in the male pelvis (less than 90 The ankle, or tarsus, consists of 7 tarsal
degrees). bones:
The male pelvis is deeper and has a • Calcaneus
narrower pelvic outlet than the female’s • Talus
• Cuboid
• Navicular
• 3 Cuneiforms
WHAT DOES THE SKELETAL WHAT ARE SOME COMMON
SYSTEM DO? CONDITIONS THAT CAN AFFECT
THE SKELETAL SYSTEM?
The skeletal system has many
functions. Besides giving us our Arthritis: Age, injury, and medical
human shape and features, it: conditions such as Lyme disease can
lead to arthritis, a painful wearing down
Allows movement: Your skeleton
of joints.
supports your body weight to help
you stand and move. Joints, Fracture: Disease, a tumor, or trauma
connective tissue and muscles work can put stress on a bone, causing it to
together to make your body parts break.
mobile.
Osteosarcoma: Cancer that forms in the
Produces blood cells: Bones contain bones can cause tumors that may
bone marrow. Red and white blood weaken and break bones.
cells are produced in the bone
Osteoporosis: Bone loss caused by not
marrow.
getting enough calcium can lead to
Protects and supports organs: Your fragile and brittle bones, known as
skull shields your brain, your ribs osteoporosis.
protect your heart and lungs, and
Sprains and tears: Age, disease and
your backbone protects your spine.
trauma can cause connective tissue to
Stores minerals: Bones hold your overstretch and tear.
body’s supply of minerals like calcium
and vitamin D.

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.