THE SKELETAL SYSTEM

Touch your head, arms and legs. Do you feel something hard inside?
What you feel are some of the bones in your body. Suppose these bones were
not inside your body, what would happen? Surely you would collapse and look
like a shapeless mass.

Bones make up your skeleton which is the framework of your body.

A framework is important. When carpenters construct a house, they build

the frameworks first. This may be made of wood, steel or concrete. The
framework gives support and shape to the house.

Look at the shape of your body. It is the skeleton that gives this shape.
Muscles make the shape look nicer. You can stand erect and walk on two legs.
Your skeleton and muscles enable you to do this.
PARTS OF THE SKELETAL SYSTEM

BONES OF THE AXIAL SKELETON

The skeleton has two main parts. One part consists of bones in
the head and trunk. These bones make up the axial skeleton. The
other part consists of bones that are attached to the axial skeleton.
These bones make up the appendicular skeleton.

The bones in the axial skeleton are the skull, backbone,

breastbone and ribs.

The skull, which looks like one big bone,

actually consists of 29 bones. Eight of these
bones are joined together to form a
helmetlike case that surrounds the brain. This is
called the cranium. Also part of the skull are
14 facial bones, 6 ear bones and a bone at
the back of the tongue.

Attached to the base of the

skull is the backbone or spine,
which is made up of 26 irregularly-
shaped bones called vertebrae.
Each vertebra forms a ring and all
the rings together form a hollow
tube which encloses the spinal
cord.

Observe carefully the

picture of the backbone. Do you notice that it has a
curve in the lower part? This curve is important because
it helps the body have an erect posture.
 The sternum or breastbone is
the long, narrow, flat bone found
at the middle of the chest. This is
attached to a cage of a flat, curve
bones, called ribs, that encloses
the heart and lungs. There are 24
ribs in all. Ten pairs of ribs are
attached to the breastbone while
two pairs are not. These two pairs
are called floating ribs.

Altogether, there are 80 bones in the axial skeleton.

BONES OF THE APPENDICULAR SKELETON

The appendicular skeleton consists of the collar bones, shoulder
blades, arm bones, hipbones and leg bones.

Run your fingers sidewise just below your neck. The bones that
you feel are the collar bones or
clavicles. There are two collar bones,
each of which joins the shoulder blade
and acts as a brace to hold the
shoulder blade in position and help
support the arms.

Feel the shoulder blades at the

upper part of your back. Each shoulder
blade or scapula is flat and triangular.
The shoulder blades join the collar
bones at the shoulder area. These
bones are stabilized and secured to
the rib cage by a group of muscles.

Each arm has three bones, one in

the upper arm and two in the lower
arm (also called forearm). The bone in
the upper arm is bigger than those in the lower arm. Each hand has
a total of 27 bones.

Feel the bone on each side of

your body just below the waist. This is
the hipbone which is attached to the
backbone and joined together by
cartilage at the front. The hipbones
forms a ring called the pelvis. The
pelvis surrounds some abdominal
organs.

The bone in the upper leg called

femur is the longest bone in the body. The
leg bones are attached to the hipbone.
The lower legs have two bones each.
Between the upper and lower legs is the
kneebone. Each foot has a total of 26
bones. There is a total of 126 bones in the
appendicular skeleton. Altogether, there
are 206 bones in the human adult.

SIZES AND SHAPES OF BONES

Different parts of your body have different sizes and shapes. This
is because they follow the size and shape of some of the bones that
make up the framework of your body.

The bones of the arms are long and hollow. You can move your
arm bones to reach objects. The bones of your legs enable you to
make long strides when you walk. The bones of your feet are strong
enough to support your weight. The curve of your backbone enables
you to keep an upright position.
 The skull is shaped like a helmet so
your head is also shaped like a helmet.
Some bones are flat, like the shoulder
blades and breastbone.
Some bones, like the ear bones, are
very tiny and irregular in shape. The ear
bones are the smallest bones in the body.

THE STRUCTURE OF A BONE

LAYERS OF BONE MATERIAL

Bone material consists of several layers. The surface of a bone is
covered with a thin membrane called periosteum. Beneath the
periosteum is a hard, compact bone. Inside this hard bone is a
spongy bone. Inside the spongy bone is the bone marrow, where red
and white blood cells are produced.
HOW BONES ARE JOINED
The point where two bones meet is called a joint. Some joints
do not allow bones to move. There are joints which allow limited
movement and there are joints which allow different kinds of
movements.
How are bones joined together?

FIXED JOINTS
The cranium which protects the brain consists of eight (8) fairly
flat bones. The joints between these bones are firmly secured by
fibrous tissues. Thus, the bones cannot move. These joints are called
fixed joints. Fixed joints, or sutures, do not allow any movement.

MOVABLE JOINTS
Turn your head to the left, then to the right. You can do this
because of the pivot joint at the point where a bone of the head
meets the neck bone.
A pivot joint allows limited movement
only.
Try to bend, then straighten your fingers.
Bending and straightening are movements
made possible by hinge joints.

Move your arms sideward, forward,

backward and around. You can do all these
because of the ball-and-socket joint where
your upper arm bone meets your shoulder
bone. The rounded end of your upper arm
bone fits into a hollow or socket at the end of
your shoulder bone.
 Can you move your hips in different directions? How about your
legs? Why?
The joints between vertebrae are called gliding joints. Gliding
joints enable the vertebra to do limited twisting, turning or sliding.

STRUCTURE OF A MOVABLE JOINT

How are bones that move protected
from wear and tear?
Study the picture. It shows two bones
that meet at a movable joint.
In movable joints, the surfaces of the
bones are coated by smooth and slippery
cartilage (a fibrous connective tissue). This
serves as the cushion between the two
bones. If they happen to bump one
another during movement, the cartilage
would act as the shock absorber. In this
way, the bones will not get hurt.
A sticky oil-like substance, the
synovial fluid, lubricates the joint. The fluid
enables the bones to move smoothly.
The movable joint is surrounded by
ligaments. Ligaments are tough bands of
elastic tissue that join the ends of bones
and prevent too much movement of the
joint.
BONES THAT PROTECT
THE SKULL
The brain is the control center of the body. It makes sure that all
parts of the body are working together efficiently. It consists of nerve
cells.
The skull forms a hard case that protects
the brain. The bones that make up the upper
part of the skull have fixed joints so they cannot
move. The brain is a very delicate organ so it is
important that the bones protecting it are
always in place. If the bones move, the brain
might be damaged.
Two large sockets at the front of the skull
protect the eyeballs. Like the brain, the eyes
are delicate organs which need protection.
The jawbones make up the lower part of the skull. There is an
upper jawbone and a lower jawbone that hold the teeth. Unlike the
upper bones of the skull which are firmly
fixed together, the lower jawbone is a
separate moving part. This makes it possible
for the jawbone to chew food.

THE BACKBONE
The backbone or spinal column
consists of separate bones called vertebrae
that are stacked one on top of another to
form a tube, which contains the spinal cord.
The spinal cord consists of nerve cells
and fibers. It connects the brain to the
different parts of the body. Like the brain,
the spinal cord is very delicate. An injury to
the spinal cord will cause paralysis to a
person.
 The backbone protects the spinal cord from harm. Since the
vertebrae are joined by gliding joints, the movements of the bones
are limited to sliding, turning or twisting. This limited movement helps
protect the spinal cord.

THE HIPBONE
The hipbone is attached to the lower
part of the backbone; it curves around at
the front. It forms a basinlike structure called
the pelvis, which supports the upper part of
the body and protects the lower organs such
as the intestines and urinary bladder. In men,
the pelvis is large and heavy so that it can
support a heavy weight. In women, the
pelvis is shallow but wider than that of a
man. This provides enough space for the
development of a baby when the time
comes.

THE RIBS
The 12 pairs of ribs together with
the breastbone form a cagelike
structure called the chest cavity.
Inside the chest cavity are the heart
and the lungs, which are delicate
organs. Attached to the ribs are
muscles which help the chest
expand and contract during
breathing.
INJURIES AND DISEASES OF BONES

SPRAIN
Bones are held together at a joint by ligaments. When a joint is
suddenly twisted, the ligaments may be stretched too much and be
torn. A tear in the ligaments is called a sprain. When the tear is only
partial, the sprain is mild. When the ligaments are completely torn,
the sprain is severe.
Sprains commonly occur in the ankles, shoulders, knees, wrists
and fingers. They are the immediate result of a direct injury like a
bad fall, sliding on a slippery surface or tripping on a rock.
The symptoms of a sprain are a sudden, sharp pain and
swelling of the affected area. Discoloration of the affected area
appears in a day or two.

DISLOCATION
When ligaments are torn, the bones
they are holding may get out of place.
When a bone is displaced from its normal
position at a joint, the injury is called
dislocation.
Dislocation is usually caused by a
heavy blow or an injury to the ligaments. It
can occur at any joint.
The symptoms of dislocation are
severe pain, rapid swelling, discoloration
and inability to move the affected part.