skeletal system

Question 1

what does the skeletal system provide

Answer 1

the framework and overall structure for our body, and in coordination with our skeletal muscles, allows movement

Question 2

what is the skeletal system made of

Answer 2

connective tissues, including bone, cartilage and dense fibrous CT. these are arranged to form skeletons and joints

Question 3

what is cartilage

Answer 3

composed of mostly water- allows it to regain shape after compression. it has no blood supply but
it is surrounded by perichondrium, a layer of dense irregular CT
which contains blood vessels from which gases and nutrients diffuse into the cartilage.

Question 4

what are the 3 types of cartilage

Answer 4

hyaline cartilage- the most abundant type, consists of mostly collagen fibres and provides flexibility, support and resilience
elastic cartilage- contains high proportion of elastic fibres and can withstand repeated stretching and bending while retaining shape
fibrocartilage- has an intermediate structure between hyaline and elastic cartilage. it is compressible with great tensile strength and is located in areas subject to heavy pressure and stretch

Question 5

what is bone

Answer 5

a CT composed of bone cells embedded in the rigid ECM. it is vascularised (has a blood supply) and has a nerve supply

Question 6

functions of bone

Answer 6

forms a supportive framework for the body, protects soft tissue, mineral storage, hematopoiesis (production of blood cells), act as levers which are moved by skeletal muscles

Question 7

4 types of bone cells

Answer 7

osteogenic cells, osteoblasts, osteocytes, osteoclasts

Question 8

what are osteogenic cells

Answer 8

the main cells undergoing continuous mitosis. each division of the cell results in one cell that becomes an osteoblast and one that remains an osteogenic cell that will continue with the mitosis process

Question 9

what are osteoblasts

Answer 9

the bone builders. they produce and lay down osteoid, incorporating the mineral salts to build bone around themselves. when cells are active they take calcium out of the blood to incorporate into the ECM of bone

Question 10

what are osteocytes

Answer 10

they are osteoblasts that have finished laying down ECM and are considered mature bone cells. when the osteoblast has completely surrounded itself with a calcified matrix and can no longer produce more, it becomes trapped in lacunae in the ECM and will stay there as an osteocyte. they maintain the bone by communicating with each other and other bone cells, coordinate bone building and remodelling.

Question 11

what are osteoclasts

Answer 11

the bone destroyers that break down the ECM of bone. in the process of bone resorption, osteoclasts release the mineral salts- mainly calcium- into the blood

Question 12

bone structure

Answer 12

the internal and external surfaces of the bones are lined with dense connective tissue membranes which contain working bone cells. between these membranes is the calcified matrix of bone, laid down into sheets called lamellae which contain the osteocytes within lacunae. lamellae are arranged in 2 ways within the bone- compact and spongy

Question 13

compact bone

Answer 13

dense, smooth superficial layer of bone. consists of numerous units called osteons which are packed together between circumferential lamellar sheets. covered by both periosteum and endosteum

Question 14

spongy bone

Answer 14

fills the interior portion of a bone and holds bone marrow. blood vessels run around the outside of the trabeculae. bone marrow fills gaps between the trabeculae. lamellae form trabeculae. also known as cancellous bone. it is covered in endosteum only.

Question 15

what is ossification

Answer 15

the formation of bone, it involves remodelling and it occurs via 2 methods which are intramembranous ossification and endochrondral ossification

Question 16

intramembranous ossification

Answer 16

occurs only to the flat bones of the skull, the mandible (jaw) and the clavicles. it begins within the fibrous dense CT

Question 17

endochondral ossification

Answer 17

occurs within the cartilage preforms (blobs of hyaline cartilage), beginning in the embryo and continuing into adolescence. Cartilage dies from the inside where there is no blood flow and is replaced by bone tissue. Cartilage keeps growing externally and the bone keeps growing on the inside known as the first center of ossification. Then bone may start to grow in another spot in the cartilage called the second center of ossification. They continue growing through childhood and more bone centers grow until eventually the cartilage stops growing but the bone inside keeps growing and then overtakes almost all of the cartilage and the first and second centers of bone will merge together and form lines which will then disappear and will become a full bone with a tiny bit of cartilage around the outside of the bone.

Question 18

what do hormones do in bone remodelling

Answer 18

facilitate the homeostasis of blood calcium levels. parathyroid hormone (PTH)

Question 19

what does mechanical stress do in bone remodelling

Answer 19

induces the tension generated by skeletal muscles and forces of gravity on the bones. bone grows in response to demands (stress) placed on it

Question 20

shapes/ bone types

Answer 20

long bones- long and wide
short bones- roughly cuboil/ roundish in shape
flat bones- contain a large flat (usually gently curved) surface
irregular bones- dont easily fit into any of the other categories. tend to have lots of different angles or bits sticking out in different directions and have holes where the body structure pass through it.
sesamoid bones- small, seed shaped bones that form with tendons typically in the hands and feet
sutural bones- small flat bones found along the structure lines between the major bones of the skull

Question 21

axial skeleton

Answer 21

forms the longitudinal axis of the body, consists of bones of the skull, vertebrae and rib cage

Question 22

appendicular skeleton

Answer 22

consists of the bones of the upper and lower limbs and the pectoral and pelvic girdles

Question 23

what are the two types of cartilaginous growth

Answer 23

appositional growth- new cartilage is formed on the exterior surface
interstitial growth- new cartilage is formed internally (growth from inside out)

Question 24

where is hyaline cartilage found

Answer 24

nasal cartilages, laryngeal cartilages (voice box), costal cartilages (between ribs and sternum), precursor to bone, articular cartilages (found on the surfaces surfaces of bone contained within joints)

Question 25

where is fibrocartilage found

Answer 25

between vertebrae, pads within knee joints, between pubic bones

Question 26

where is elastic cartilage found

Answer 26

epiglottis (between root of the tongue), external ear

Question 27

what are fibrous and cartilage joints

Answer 27

joints are the sights where two or more bones meet

Question 28

what are fibrous and cartilage joints

Answer 28

joints are the sights where two or more bones meet. they bind various bones of the skeleton together and allow varying degrees of movement

Question 29

what are the 3 types of joints

Answer 29

fibrous- the bones are tightly connected by dense fibrous CT that spans across/ between the joining bone. most fibrous joints are fixed but a few allow very slight movement
cartilaginous- bones are connected by hyaline cartilage, surrounded by dense CT. these joints are only slightly mobile (if at all)
synovial- most joints are these. they are freely mobile and vary in structure and mobility. composed of a joint capsule surrounding a fluid filled cavity. there are 6 types of synovial joints

Question 30

gliding joint (synovial)

Answer 30

the joint surfaces of the articulating bones are relatively flat allowing gliding motions in a linear direction

Question 31

hinge joint (synovial)

Answer 31

ligament restriction, the movement can only occur in the sagittal plane, so only flexion and extension movements occur

Question 32

pivot joint (synovial)

Answer 32

one bone end is rounded and is cupped or surrounded by portions of the other bone end or ligaments, allowing rotation

Question 33

condylar joint (synovial)

Answer 33

an oval shaped projection on one bone end fits into an oval shaped depression on the other bone end. allows flexion, extension, abduction, adduction and circumduction

Question 34

saddle joint (synovial)

Answer 34

both bone ends are saddle shaped, with one inverted on the other. this is only found between the metacarpal of the thumb and the wrist bones and allows flexion, extension, abduction, adduction and opposition

Question 35

ball and socket joint (synovial)

Answer 35

a spherical shaped projection on one bone end fits into a spherical depression in the other bine socket. this allows the greatest range of motion, including flexion, extension, abduction, adduction and rotation

Question 36

the axial skeleton consists of 80 bones making up 3 distinct regions- what are they

Answer 36

skull- 22 bones making up the cranium and face. additional 7 bones associated with the skull (6 auditory ossicles in the air and a hyoid bone)
vertebral column- 26 bones forming the spinal canal where the spinal cord runs
ribcage- made up of the ribs, sternum and thoracic vertebrae of the vertebral column. there are 24 ribs, which form joints with the thoracic vertebrae posteriorly and anchor to the sternum anteriorly via costal cartilages

Question 37

the appendicular consists of 126 bones which make up the appendages which are

Answer 37

pectoral girdle and upper limb- the pectoral girdle is the clavicle and the scapula which attach the upper limb to the axial skeleton and the arm
hip bone and lower limb- the hip bone and the sacrum make up the pelvic girdle and the leg

Question 38

mobility and stability of synovial joints are from what features

Answer 38

bony congruence- how well the shape of the bone surfaces within the joint fit together
joint capsule ligaments- how snug the capsule fits around the joint and the location and size of the surrounding ligaments
muscles and tendons crossing the joint- muscles are producing the movement at these joints and the movement is determined by their sites of attachment to the bone and the surface of the joint they cross. they also provide added stability to the joint