Skeletal System Flashcards
Axial Skeleton
The bones of the skull, vertebral column, thorax, and sternum.
Appendicular Skeleton
Bones of the limbs and limb girdles that are attached to the axial skeleton.
Compact Bone
Dense and looks smooth and homogeneous.
Spongy Bone
Composes of small needle like pieces of bone and lots of open space.
Long Bones
Typically longer than they are wide.
Short Bones
Generally cube-shaped and contain mostly spongy bone.
Flat Bones
Thin, flattened, and usually curved.
Irregular Bones
Bones that do not fit into any category.
Diaphysis
AKA Shaft, makes up most of the bone’s length and is composed of compact bone.
Periosteum
Covers and protects the diaphysis. It is a fibrous connective tissue membrane.
Epiphyseal Line
A thin line of bony tissue spanning the epiphysis that looks a bit different from the bone in that area.
Hematoma
When a bone breaks, blood vessels are ruptured and a blood filled swelling called a ________ is formed.
Cranium
Encloses and protects the fragile brain tissue.
Occipital Bone
The most posterior bone of the cranium. Forms the floor and back wall of the skull.
Vertebral Column
AKA spine. Extends from the skull, which it supports, to the pelvis, where it transmits the weight of the body to the lower limbs.
Vertebrae
Bones that make up the spine.
Intervertebral Discs
Separates the single vertebrae. Made up of pads of flexible fibrocartilage which cushion the vertebrae and and absorb shocks while allowing the spine to be flexible.
Cervical Vertebrae
Form the neck region of the spine.
Thoracic Vertebrae
All typical and larger than the cervical vertebrae.
Lumbar Vertebrae
Have massive block-like bodies. They are short and hatchet-shaped. In the lower back.
Sacrum
Formed by the fusion of five vertebrae. Inferiorly connects with the coccyx.
Coccyx
Formed by the fusion of three to five tiny, irregularly shaped vertebrae. AKA tailbone.
Sternum
AKA breastbone. A typical flat bone and the result of the fusion of three bones: the manubrium, body, and xiphoid processes.
Ribs
Form the walls of the bony thorax.
Clavicle
AKA collarbone. A slender, doubly curved bone.
Scapulae
AKA shoulder blades. Triangular and called “wings” because they flare when we move our arms posteriorly.
Humerus
Forms the arm and is a typical long bone.
Radius
The bone that is on the thumb-side of the forearm. Runs all the way up the arm.
Ulna
The bone on the pinky-side of the forearm. Runs all the way up the arm.
Carpal Bones
There are eight of them. Arranged in two irregular rows of four bones each to form the wrist.
Pelvic Girdle
Formed by two coxal bones, AKA hip bones.
Femur
AKA thigh bone. Only bone in the thigh. Heaviest and strongest bone in the body.
Tibia
AKA shinbone. One of the two bones that form the leg. Larger than the other bone and more medial.
Fibula
Lies alongside the Tibia and helps to form the leg. It is thin and stick-like.
