SKELETAL SYSTEM

The skeletal system is the body system

composed of bones and cartilage and
performs the following critical functions for
the human body:
supports the body.
facilitates movement.
protects internal organs.
produces blood cells.
stores and releases minerals and fat.
The skeletal system is made
up of bones and cartilage.
There are two types of
connective tissues called
tendons and ligaments that
are also considered a part of
the system. Ligaments connect
bones to bones whereas
tendons connect bones too.
The two main parts of the skeletal system, as
mentioned above, are bones and cartilage.
Bones
There are 206 bones in the body which form
more than 200 joints with each other. They are
classified into two broad categories based on
location:
Axial skeleton: These bones are found
towards the midline of the body and include the
skull, the rib cage, and the vertebral column.
The appendicular skeleton: These bones are
found in the appendages such as arms, legs
fingers, and toes.
Bones can be classified into four types
based on their shape:
Long Bones -They are long and slender
bones found generally in the limbs. ex.
humerus, femur.
Short Bones: They are short bones which are
smaller in size and are found in the carpals and
tarsals.
Flat Bones: they are thin and flat in nature
and not all of them are completely flat. They
provide surface area for muscle attachment.
Ex: scapula, sternum
Irregular Bones: These bones do not have
specific shapes and therefore cannot be put
into any other group. Ex: vertebrae
Structure of a Bone
Lets now see what the structure of an
individual bone looks like.
Each bone tissue is made up of two types
of osseous tissue: compact bone and
spongy bone.
Compact bone is hard and compact in
nature and always found towards the
outside of the bone whereas the spongy
bone which is softer and more porous is
found towards the centre. The function of
each bone determines the ratio in which
these two types of tissues exist within it.
The connective tissue that is found on
the outside of the bone is known as
the periosteum. The periosteum is
made up of cellular and fibrous tissue
and plays a crucial role in the
attachment to muscles and joints as it
is this layer which contains tendon and
ligament attachments. The endosteum
is the connective tissue layer which
lines the marrow cavity.
 The shaft of a bone is known as the
diaphysis and the swollen end is
called the epiphysis. The epiphyseal
line demarcates the two parts. It is
the diaphysis which houses the
marrow cavity which is majorly
composed of loose connective
tissue and is responsible for
producing blood cells.
 The cells that form bone matrix are
known as osteoblasts and the mature
cells of the bone are called
osteocytes. There is a special type of
cells that help remove bone matrix and
are found during bone remodelling
known as osteoclasts. These are
gigantic cells and are always found on
the side of the bone where the matrix
is being eaten away during growth and
remodelling.
 The matrix in a bone tissue is
made up of two components:
the organic part that contains
fibres whereas the inorganic
part consists of the
minerals(hydroxyapatite).
 Cartilage
 Cartilage is the second component of
the skeletal system. It is made up of
fibres that are embedded in connective
tissue or ground substance. Cartilage
consists of two types of fibres: Collagen
and elastin fibres. The cells that form
cartilage are known as chondroblasts
and the mature cells of the cartilage are
known as chondrocytes.
 The chondrocytes lie in lacunae in the
matrix. The outer layer of a cartilage is
known as the perichondrium. Unlike the
bone, cartilage is avascular which means
that it contains no blood supply.
However, the perichondrium contains
blood supply. There are 3 types of
cartilages namely Hyaline cartilage,
elastic cartilage, and fibrocartilage.
  Hyaline cartilage– the most
abundant of the three cartilages and
functions to help surfaces slide over
one another. Example: found in the
respiratory system.

.Fibrocartilage– This cartilage is tough

and its main function is to provide support
and strength to structures. Example: found
in healing tissue during bone repair(callus)
 Elastic cartilage– This cartilage
is abundant in elastic fibres and
functions to maintain the shape
of the area it is present in.
Example: found in the middle ear.
Functions of the Skeletal System

 The main function of the skeletal

system is that it provides a
framework to the body and provides
shape.
 Along with the muscular system, the
skeletal system helps in the
movement of the body parts of the
body and locomotion of the body.
 The skeletal system is hard and so forms a
protective layer for the softer, more
delicate organs from any form of injury.
The rib cage protects the heart, lungs and
visceral organs, the brain is protected by
the skull etc.
 It is the growth and development of bones
that provides the height and width of an
individual.
 The centre of the bone consists of the
bone marrow which produces blood cells
and therefore hemopoietic in nature.