Skeletal System Flashcards
What are the 4 components of the skeletal system?
Bones, cartilage, tendons, ligaments
How many bones does the adult body have?
206
Almost half of the total bones in the human body are located where?
Hands & feet
What are the smallest and the longest bones in the human body and where are they located?
Smallest bone is the stapes in the middle ear.
Largest bone is the femur in the thigh.
What kind of tissue is bone? Is it living or dead?
Bone is a hard form of connective tissue.
Living tissue (has its own metabolism ex. Fractured/broken bones are able to heal).
What are the main functions of the skeletal system?
Protection, movement, support, mineral storage/release, blood cell formation.
What does the skeletal system protect?
Protects internal organs
What bones protect the lungs and heart?
Ribs and sternum
What bones protect the spinal cord?
Vertebrae
What bone protects the brain?
skull
Where are blood cells produced?
Bone marrow
Name the process by which blood cells are produced.
Hematopoiesis
What minerals are stored and released in the bone?
Calcium and phosphorus
How does the skeletal system facilitate movement?
Bones act as levers to move the body.
What parts of the skeletal system support the weight of the entire body?
Legs, pelvic girdle, and vertebral column
What does the mandible (jawbone) support?
Teeth
What does the pelvic girdle support?
Pelvic and abdominal organs
What tissues/components are found in the bone?
Osseous tissue
Bone marrow (blood cell formation)
Adipose tissue
Nervous tissue (bone fractures hurt)
Blood supply (living tissue)
Connective tissue
What are the 2 types of bone?
Spongy and Compact bone
Describe spongy bone.
Small needle-like
Many open spaces
Cancellous (porous, mesh-like) bone
Internal support
Located inside of compact bone
Describe compact bone.
Homogeneous
Hard
Strong
Weight bearing
Surrounds spongy bone
What is cartilage and its function?
Resilient, semi-rigid connective tissue that forms parts of skeleton to increase flexibility.
Main component of joints.
Articulating cartilages
Articulating surfaces (bearing surfaces) of bones participating in a synovial joint are capped with articulating cartilages, providing smooth, low-friction, gliding surfaces for free movement.
What is the function of cartilage in the thoracic cage?
Provide flexibility to the diaphragm to aid in breathing.
What are the classifications of bone by shape?
Long, flat, irregular, sesamoid, and short bones
Describe long bones and list some examples.
What is their structure? What kind of bone do they contain? What is their function? Where are they found?
Longer then they are wide
Have shaft with heads at both ends
Contain mostly compact bone
Support weight and movement
Found in appendicular skeleton
Ex: humerus and femur
Describe short bones and list some examples.
Generally cube-shaped
Mostly spongy bone
Provide stability and movement
Ex: bones of the wrist
Describe flat bones and list some examples.
Thin and flattened
Usually curved
Two thin layers of compact bone around a layer of spongy bone
Protect internal organs
Provide attachment for muscles
Ex: skull bones, ribs, sternum
Describe irregular bones and list some examples.
Do not fit into other bone classification categories.
Irregular, complicated shape
Protect internal organs
Ex: Vertebra
Describe sesamoid bones and list some examples.
Bones that form within tendons
Give extra leverage
Small and round in shape
Protect the tendon from stress and wear
Ex: Patella
What is the only bone that does not articulate with any other in the body?
Hyoid Bone
Hyoid bone location and function
Located in larynx
Serves as a moveable base for the tongue
What are the functions of joints?
Articulations between 2 or more bones
Holds bones together
Allow for mobility
What are the 3 structural classifications of joints?
Cartilaginous joint
Fibrous joint
Synovial joint
What are the 5 classifications of synovial joints?
Plane (gliding) joint
Hinge joint
Pivot joint
Saddle joint
Ball-and-socket joint
Describe cartilaginous joints and where they are located.
Bones connected by cartilage (hyaline cartilage or fibrocartilage)
More movement then fibrous, less then synovial
Ex: costal cartilage to sternum, intervertebral joints, pubic symphysis
Describe fibrous joints and where they are located.
Bones united by fibrous tissue
Largely immovable
Ex: skull, between ulna and radius
Describe synovial joints and where they are located.
Most common joint in body
Most mobile
Surrounded by flexible membrane forming a sac
Synovial fluid secreted into the sac
Articulating cartilage covers bone ends to prevent friction
Reinforced by ligaments
What are the two types of synovial sacs?
Subacromial Bursa
Tendon sheath
Describe the function of subacromial bursa (synovial sac).
Flattened fibrous sacs lined with synovial membrane
Filled with synovial fluid
Eliminates friction by rolling where a structure would otherwise rub against a bone
Describe structure and function of tendon sheath (synovial sacs).
Elongated bursa that wraps around a tendon.
Helps to protect the tendons during movement
Plane (Gliding) Joint function and example.
Allows the bones to slide over each other
Ex: Carpals (wrist joint)
Hinge joint function and example.
Works similarly to a door hinge
Moves in a single axis to bend or straighten
Ex: elbow (ulna and humerus), knee (femur and tibia), fingers and toes
Pivot joint function and example.
Allows the rotation of the bones without changing the angle (across planes).
Ex: atlas and axis (1st and 2nd cervical vertebrae *neck), proximal and distal radioulnar joints (supination and pronation).
Saddle joint function and example
Allows bi-axial movement in the sagittal and frontal planes
Ex: thumbs across hand
Ball-and-Socket joint functions and examples.
Ball-shaped surface of one rounded bone fits into the cup-like depression of another bone.
Allows more freedom of movement than any other kind of joint.
Ex: Hip and shoulder
What is arthritis and what are the two types?
Joint inflammation that can cause pain and stiffness
Degenerative process with age
Ex: osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
Osteoarthritis definition and symptoms
Protective cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones wears down over time
Lost of join space (bone on bone)
Rheumatoid arthritis definition and symptoms
An autoimmune and inflammatory disease
The immune system attacks healthy cells by mistake, causing painful inflammation.
Bone erosion
Ex: ulnar deviation (fingers go out)
How can rheumatoid arthritis affect the eyes?
Uveitis
Scleritis
What is the axial skeleton? What bones does it include?
Forms the longitudinal part of the body
Ex: skull, hyoid bone, bony thorax (rib cage), vertebral column (vertebrae, sacrum, coccyx), sternum
What is the appendicular skeleton? What bones does it include?
Composed of upper and lower extremities
Ex: Shoulder girdle, arm, hand, pelvic girdle, leg, foot, pectoral girdles
What is the vertebral column? What are the different parts?
Houses the spinal canal that contains the spinal cord.
Separated by innervated discs.
Base of the skull to the tailbone.
Cervical vertebrae, thoracic vertebrae, lumbar vertebrae, sacrum, coccyx.
How many bones does the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar vertebrae each have? Sacrum and coccyx?
Cervical Vertebrae (7)
Thoracic Vertebrae (12)
Lumbar Vertebrae (5)
Sacrum- 5 fused into one
Coccyx- 4 fused into one
Why is the vertebral column curved?
Help body to absorb stress from body movement and gravity.
Helps to bear weight.
Spinous process definition and function.
Bony projection off posterior of each vertebrae.
Provides point of attachment for muscles and ligaments of the spine.
What is the Atlanta-occipital joint?
Function as bilaterally symmetrical ellipsoid synovial joints between C0 and C1.
What does atlas (C1) articulate with, and what is the function?
Articulates with occipital condyles
Causes neck flexion/extension (nodding)
Carries whole head (Greek mythology)
Anterior
What does axis (C2) articulate with, what is the function?
Articulates with atlas (C1)
Shaking head
Posterior
What is the transverse process of the cervical vertebrae?
Muscle attachment sites
The muscles that attach to the transverse processes maintain posture and induce rotation and lateral flexion of single vertebrae and the spine as a whole
Contains transverse foramen
What is the transverse foramen of the cervical vertebrae?
Hole in the transverse process through which the vertebral artery passes from the heart to the brain.
What is the transverse costal facet for interior rib of the thoracic vertebra?
The surface that articulates with the tubercle of the rib with the same number for the first ten thoracic vertebrae.
What is the superior costal facet for superior rib of the thoracic vertebrae?
Site where a rib forms a joint with the top of a vertebra.
What is the vertebral foramen of the lumbar vertebrae?
The opening in a vertebra that is formed by a neural arch and back portion of a vertebral body and through which the spinal cord passes.
Vertebral Body
Main portion of the vertebra
Bears weight
Provides attachment for the discs between the vertebrae
Anterior section protects the spinal cord and verve roots
Describe the intervertebral foramen of the lumbar vertebrae.
Location where nerve roots exit the spine.
How does the spine appear with scoliosis?
Spine is “S” or “C” shaped
How does the spine appear with lordosis?
Lumbar spine curves inwards (lower back).
How does the spine appear with Kyphosis?
Thoracic spine curves outward (upper back).
Caused by compression fractures (collapsed vertebral body).
Osteoporosis
Causes bones to become weak and brittle.
Bone become porous
What is a synovial joint? Where are they found?
Allow for movement
Bones’ surfaces are covered with a tin layer of strong, smooth articulating cartilage.
A thin layer of synovial fluid separates and lubricates the two cartilage-covered bone surfaces.
What do ligaments connect?
Bone to bone
Fibrous connective tissue
Flexible
What do tendons connect?
Muscle to bone
Flexible
What is the dens?
Bony projection on C2 (axis) that forms a joint with C1 (atlas) to aid in turning the head.
What is Anklylosing spondylitis?
Inflammatory disease causing lumbar vertebrae to fuse
Makes spine less flexible (hunched posture)
Ossification along margin of disk spaces in lumbar spine
Can cause uveitis in the eye
Describe the procedure of centesis.
Puncturing a body cavity or organ with a hollow needle to draw out fluid
