Prelude to Lecture (Skeletal System)

Quick and Dirty Big Picture: Although the word skeleton comes from the Greek word meaning dried-
up body, our internal framework is so beautifully designed and engineered that it puts any modern
skyscraper to shame. Strong, yet light, it is perfectly adapted for its functions of body protection and
motion. Shaped by an event that happened more than one million years ago when a being first stood
erect on hind legs our skeleton is a tower of bones arranged so that we can stand upright and balance
ourselves. No other animal has such relatively long legs (compared to the arms or forelimbs) or such a
strange foot, and few have such remarkable grasping hands. Even though the infants backbone is like
an arch, it soon changes to the swayback, or S-shaped, structure that is required for the upright posture.
The skeleton is subdivided into two divisions: the axial skeleton, the bones that form the
longitudinal axis of the body, and the appendicular skeleton, the bones of the limbs and girdles. In
addition to bones, the skeletal system includes joints, cartilages, and ligaments (fibrous cords that bind
the bones together at joints). The joints give the body flexibility and allow movement to occur.

Why Do I Need To Know This???: At one time or another, all of us have heard the expressions bone
tired, dry as a bone, or bag of bones pretty unflattering and inaccurate images of some of our
most phenomenal organs. Our brains, not our bones, convey feelings of fatigue, and bones are far from
dry. As for bag of bones, they are indeed more obvious in some of us, but without them to form our
internal skeleton, we would creep along the ground like slugs.

Highlights of What Well Cover:

Functions of the bones
Classification of bones
Bone formation, growth, and remodeling
Bone fractures
Joints

Skeletal System Lecture Notes

The human skeleton consists of __________________ and ______________________ bones.

It is supported and supplemented by ________________, ________________, ______________,

and ____________________.

It serves as a ____________________ system.

o Supports __________
o Anchors __________
o Protects ____________________

__________

__________

__________

The adult human body is made up of __________ bones

o The largest is the __________
o The smallest is the __________
1. ___________________
Bones are the ____________________ that supports and __________ all soft organs

The bones of the legs act as __________ to support the ____________________ when
we stand

The ____________________ supports the thoracic wall

2. ___________________
Bones protect _________ _________ _________
o The __________ protects the __________
o Allows a person to head a soccer ball without __________________ the brain.

3. ___________________
Skeletal muscles are attached to bones by __________

The bones are then used as __________ to help move the body and its parts.

4. ___________________
__________ is stored in the internal cavities of bones.

Bone itself serves as a ____________________ for ___________________

o Important minerals include __________ and __________

o Calcium is released from the bone in order for ____________________ to occur.

o Problems can occur if the body has ____________________ or

____________________ calcium present.

o ____________________ and ____________________ of calcium to and

from bones go on constantly.

5. ______________________________________
Occurs within the ____________________ of certain bones.

There are __________ basic types of bone tissue

o ____________________ bone

Dense and looks smooth and __________

o ____________________ bone

Composed of small, ____________________ pieces of bone

Lots of ____________________
Hence, spongy
 The skeleton is divided into two parts.
o ____________________ skeletons

Forms the __________, ____________________, and the __________.

Functions are to provide ____________________ for the vital organs.

Consists of __________ bones.

o ____________________ skeleton

Forms the __________ as well as the __________ and __________ limbs.

Functions are to make ____________________ possible and protect the major
organs of locomotion, digestion, excretion, and reproduction.

Consists of __________ bones.

Bones are classified according to their ____________________.

o __________ bones

__________ than they are __________

Mostly ____________________ bone

Examples include the __________, __________, __________, __________,
__________, __________

o __________ bones

__________ shaped

Contain mostly __________ bone

Examples include the __________, or ____________________

o __________ bones

Thin, flattened, and usually __________

Contain a thin layer of ______________________________ that surround the
______________________________

Examples include the bones of the __________, __________, and __________

o ____________________ bones

Bones that do not fit any of the preceding categories are considered to be
irregular

Can be ____________________ or ____________________

Examples include ______________________________ and the __________

Bone Formation
o The skeleton is formed from two of the strongest and most supportive tissues in the
body - ____________________ and ____________________.

o In ____________________, the skeleton is primarily made of __________ cartilage, but

in the young child, most of the cartilage is replaced by __________

Cartilage remains only in ____________________ areas such as the
______________________________, parts of the __________, and __________

o Most bones develop using __________ cartilage structures as their __________.

 o Bone formation, or ____________________, involves two major phases.

First, the hyaline cartilage model is completely covered with bone matrix by
bone forming cells called ____________________
So, for a short period, the fetus has ____________________________
enclosed by ______________________________.

Next, the enclosed hyaline cartilage model is ___________________________,
opening up a ____________________ within the newly formed bone.

o By birth, or shortly thereafter, most of the hyaline cartilage models have been
converted to bone except for two regions.

________________________________________
These cover the ______________________________
Persist for __________
__________ friction at the __________ __________

________________________________________
Provide for ____________________ growth of the long bones during
____________________.

o Growing bones also must widen as they lengthen. How?

____________________ add bone tissue to the ____________________ of the
bone while ____________________ remove bone from the inner face of the
bone wall.

These two processes occur at the same __________.

The ___________________ of the bone expands and the bone __________.

This process is called ____________________ __________________

It is controlled by a ____________________ called the ____________________
and during puberty, the ____________________.

It ends during ____________________ when the epiphyseal plates are
completely converted to _________.

Bone is a dynamic and active tissue. They are constantly being ____________________ in
response to two factors.
o ____________________ levels in the blood

Lower Ca+2 levels cause bones to ____________________ and __________
calcium into the blood.

Higher Ca+2 levels cause bone to ____________________ and __________
calcium from the blood.

o Pull of ____________________.

Extra tidbit: Rickets is a disease of children in which the bones fail to calcify. As a result, the bones are
softened and a definite bowing of the weight-bearing bones of the legs occurs. Rickets is usually due to a
lack of calcium in the diet or a lack of vitamin D, which is needed to absorb calcium into the blood
stream. Rickets is not seen very often in the United States, where great stress is put on good nutrition.
Milk, break, and other foods are fortified with vitamin D, and most children drink enough calcium-rich
milk. However, it can happen in infants nursed by mothers who become vitamin D-deficient over the
course of a long gray winter, and it remains a problem in some other parts of the world.

A fracture is when a bone ____________________.

o A fracture in which the bone breaks cleanly, but does not penetrate the skin is a
____________________.
o When the broken bone ends penetrate through the skin, the fracture is __________

A fracture is treated by ____________________, which is the realignment of the broken bone

ends.
o In closed reduction, the bone ends are moved back into their normal positions by
____________________.
o In open reductions, ___________________ is performed and the bone ends are secured
together with __________ or __________.

Summary of the repair of bone fractures:

1. Blood vessels are ___________________ when a bone breaks.
2. As a result, a blood-filled swelling called a ___________________ forms.
3. Bone cells deprived of nutrition __________.
4. The dead bone cells are __________ by ____________________.
5. New ___________________ and _____________________________ form the fibrocartilage
callus which act to ___________________ the broken bone together.
6. As more ___________________ and ___________________ migrate into the area and multiply,
the fibrocartilage callus is gradually replaced by one made of ___________________ bone.
7. Over the next few weeks to months, the bony callus is ___________________
8. The remodeled bone forms a strong, permanent __________ at the ____________________.

With one exception, every bone in the body forms a __________ with at least one other bone.
o The ____________________ bone of the neck is the one exception
o It is suspended in the __________ by ____________________.
o The ____________________ attaches to it

Aids in __________ movement and ____________________.

Joints are classified in two ways - ____________________ and ____________________.

 Functional classification focuses on the amount of ___________________ allowed by the joint
o _____________________________ joints

Skull

o _____________________________ joints

Vertebrate

o _____________________________ joints

Wrists

Structural classification focuses on whether the fibrous tissue, ___________________, or a joint

cavity separates the bony regions at the joint.
o ____________________ joints

United by a fibrous tissue

Bound together by ____________________

Allows __________ movement to occur

o ____________________ joints

Bone ends are connected by ___________________

Allows __________ movement to occur

o ____________________ joints

Bone ends are separated by a ______________ _______________ containing
______________________ ________________.
Synovial fluid reduces the friction by acting as a __________________.

Accounts for all the joints in the limbs.

Allows __________ of movement to occur.

Extra tidbit a dislocation happens when a bone is forced out of its normal position in the joint cavity.
The process of returning the bone to its proper position, called reduction, should be done by a physician.
Attempts by an untrained person to snap the bone back into its socket are usually more harmful than
helpful.

____________________ joint
o Surfaces are essentially __________
o __________________ movement.
o The inter-carpal joints of the wrist are the best example of plant joints.

____________________ joint
o The ____________________________ end of one bone fits into a __________________
surface on another bone.
o Allows for ____________________ movement

Movement is considered to be ____________________ because it moves in
only __________ direction.
o Examples include the __________ and the __________.
 ____________________ joint.
o The ___________________ end of one bone fits into a ____________________ of
another bone.
o Allows for _____________________________ movement

Because the rotating bone can turn only around its long axis, pivot joints are
also _____________________________ joints.

____________________ joints
o The _____________________________ surface of one bone fits into an
____________________ in another.
o Movement can be __________ to __________ and __________ and __________.

Movement occurs around two axis, hence these joints are _________________.
o Examples include the metacarpals of the hand. i.e., your __________________.

____________________ joints
o The ends of the bone is both ________________ and ________________, like a addle.
o Biaxial joints allows for ___________________ movement
o Examples include your __________________.

_______________ and ______________ joints

o The spherical head of one bone fits into a ____________________ in another.
o Movement is in all directions, hence ____________________ joints.
o Examples include the __________________ and _________.

Extra tidbit Few inflammatory joint

disorders cause more pain and suffering
than arthritis. The term arthritis (arth =
joint; it is = inflammation) describes over
100 different inflammatory or
degenerative diseases that damage the
joints. In all its forms, arthritis is the most
wide-spread, crippling disease in the
United States. One out of seven
Americans suffers its ravages. All forms
of arthritis have the same initial
symptoms: pain, stiffness, and swelling of
the joint. Then, depending on the specific
form, certain changes in the joint
structure occur.
 Comprehension Checks

1. Which of the following are correctly matched?

a. Short bone wrist
b. Long bone leg
c. Irregular bone sternum
d. Flat bone cranium

2. The human body is made up of ___?___ bones. ___?___ are found in the axial skeleton and
___?___ are found in the appendicular skeleton.
a. 206, 80, 126
b. 206, 126, 80
c. 106, 80, 26
d. 106, 26, 80

3. There are two basic types of bone tissue. ___?___ bone is dense and looks homogenous while
___?___ bone is open.
a. Spongy, compact
b. Compact, spongy

4. The longest bone in the body is the ___?___ while the shortest bone is the ___?___
a. Humerus, stapes
b. Femur, pisciform
c. Ulna, anvil
d. Femur, stapes
e. Ulna, stapes

5. What are the two important elements that the bone stores?
a. Sodium and potassium
b. Oxygen and carbon dioxide
c. Calcium and potassium
d. Phosphorus and calcium

6. Of the events listed below, which happens first?

a. Dead bone cells are removed by phagocytes
b. Bony callus is remodeled
c. A blood-filled hematoma forms.
d. The fibrocartilage callus acts to splint the broken bone together.
e. A strong, permenant patch forms at the fracture site.

7. What is the correct order of events from the options listed in question 6?
a. A, D, C, E, B
b. B, E, C, A, D
c. C, A, D, B, E
d. D, B, A, E, C
 Skeletal System Homework/Objectives

1. Describe the overview of the skeletal system. What is its role in the human body? What are the
largest and smallest bones in the body?
2. What are the five major functions of the bones? Describe each and provide explanation as to
why these functions are necessary.
3. Describe how bones are classified. What are the divisions that occur in the skeletal system
organizational schematics.
4. How are bones formed? What happens to the bones as the organism is developing (from an
embryo to a fetus to a child to an adolescent)?
5. Understand that bones are alive and active. What are two ways that bones are remodeled?
How does this occur?
6. What is a bone fracture? How can it occur? Summarize the events that occur during a bone
fracture.
7. What are joints? How are they classified? What is the point of the synovial fluid that exists in
some joints?
8. Describe the types of synovial joints based on shape. Where are each found? What type of
movement occurs in each type of synovial joint?