Skeletal System Flashcards
How many bones are there in the human body?
270 at birth, reducing to 206 by adulthood.
What proportion of a healthy body’s weight comprises the skeleton?
About one fifth.
The skeleton is divided into two categories. What are they?
The axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton.
How many types of bone are there?
6
What kind of bone is a flat bone?
These bones are flat to allow for a large amount of tissue attachment, such as the skull and scapula.
What kind of bone is an irregular bone?
These are specific in shape to serve a specific purpose, eg vertebrae.
What type of bone is a long bone?
These act as levers and resemble a cartoon dog bone, eg femur or humerus.
What is a sesamoid bone?
These bones aid the work of a tendon. Examples include under the ball of the foot to help operate the big toe, or the knee cap (patella).
What are short bones?
These are smaller, block like, bones found in the wrists and ankles. They are compacted together to allow the biggest possible range of movement.
What are sutural bones?
These are bones that join together but that do not allow movement. The skull is made up of sutural bones.
