The Skeletal System

Skeleton comes from Greek for dried up body

The skeleton is the framework upon which our entire bodies
are built.
Our bones are light yet strong, and are perfectly suited to
provide protection and movement.
The Skeletal System
The skeleton is divided into two divisions,
the axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton.
The axial skeleton are the bones that form the longitudinal
axis of the body
The appendicular skeleton is composed of the bones of
the limbs and the girdles.
The Functions of Bones
Our bones give us shape and form, and
contribute to homeostasis in several important
ways.
1.) Support: Bones are the girders of our body
They also serve to protect soft organs, and provide
attachment points for muscles
The Functions of Bones
2.) Protection : Bones protect soft tissues such
as the brain, spinal cord, and the organs in the
thoracic cavity.
3.) Movement : The skeletal muscles attach to the bones
with tendons.
The bones act as levers to move the body and its
parts.
The Functions of Bones
4.) Storage : The internal cavities of bones are
used to store fat.
The bones themselves are repositories for minerals such
as calcium and phosphorous. The turnover of these
minerals is controlled by hormones.
5.) Blood Cell Formation: Hematopoiesis occurs within
the marrow cavities of certain bones
Classification Of Bones
Adult skeletons have 206 bones
Bones are made of two basic types of osseous tissue :
Compact Bone
Spongy Bone
Classification of Bones on the
Basis of Shape
Figure 5.1
Classification Of Bones
Long bones
Short bones
Flat Bones
Irregular bones
The Axial Skeleton
Forms the longitudinal part of the body
Divided into three parts
Skull
Vertebral column
Bony thorax
The Axial Skeleton
Figure 5.6
The Skull
Two sets of bones
Cranium
Facial bones
Bones are joined by sutures
Only the mandible is attached by a freely
movable joint
The Skull
Figure 5.7
Bones of the Skull
Figure 5.11
Human Skull, Superior View
Figure 5.8
Human Skull, Inferior View
Figure 5.9
Bones of the skull
The cranium is composed of 8 bones, except for 2
paired bones, they are all single bones.
Frontal Bone : the forehead, also forms the the
projections under the eyebrows and the superior
part of each eye orbit
Parietal Bones : paired bones that form the
superior and lateral walls of the skull
They meet at the sagittal suture and form the
coronal suture where they meet the frontal
Bones of the skull
The temporal bones are inferior to the parietal
bones, and join with them at the squamous suture
There are several important bone markings on the
temporal bone.
External auditory meatus: ear canal
Styloid process : allows for muscle attachment
Zygomatic process : the thin bridge of bone that joins
anteriorly with the zygomatic bone
Bones of the skull
Mastoid process provides an attachment site for
some neck muscles. Also contains the mastoid
sinuses.
Jugular foramen : allows for the passage of the
jugular vein .
Carotid canal : anterior to the jugular foramen,
allows for passage of the carotid artery.
Bones of the skull
Occipital Bone forms the inferior posterior portion
of the skull.
The occipital bone contains the magnum foramen,
which is the large opening that allows for passage
of the spinal cord from the base of the brain down
the vertebral column .
The occipital bone joins with the temporal and
parietal bones
Bones of the skull
The occipital bone features the occipital condyles,
which articulate with the first cervical vertebrae,
called the atlas.
The sphenoid bone is the wing shaped bone which
spans the skull, most of which is visible on the
interior of the skull .
Bones of the Face
14 bones compose the face
12 Bones are paired, and only the mandible and the
vomer are single bones.
Maxillae ( maxillary bones) fuse to form the upper
jaw. All of the facial bones join the maxillae, except
the mandible
Bones of the Face
The palatine processes form the anterior hard
palate
The maxillae also contain the para-nasal sinuses
Palatine Bones paired bones that lie posterior to
the hard palate
Failure of these bones to fuse results in a cleft
palate
Paranasal Sinuses
Hollow portions of bones surrounding the
nasal cavity
Figure 5.10
Bones of the Face
The Zygomatic bones : commonly called the
cheekbones, they also form a large portion of the
eye sockets
Vomer : single plow-shaped bone that forms the
nasal septum
Inferior conchae : thin curved bones that project
from the lateral walls of the nasal cavity.
Mandible : Lower jaw, the largest strongest bone of
the face
Bones of the Face
Hyoid Bone:
The only bone in the body that does not directly
articulate with another bone.
It is located in the mid neck, above the larynx, and
is anchored to the styloid process by ligaments
Shaped like a horse shoe, it serves as a movable
base for the tongue and as a point of muscular
attachment for muscles in the neck
The Hyoid Bone
The only bone that
does not articulate
with another bone
Serves as a
moveable base for
the tongue
Figure 5.12
The Vertebral Column
Is formed by 26 irregular bones
Is a flexible, curved structure extending from
the skull to the pelvis
Protects the delicate spinal cord
Transmits the weight load of the body to the
lower limbs
The Vertebral Column
Vertebrae separated
by intervertebral discs
The spine has a
normal curvature
Each vertebrae is
given a name
according to its
location
Figure 5.14
Vertebral column
There are 33 separate vertebrae at birth
Nine of these fuse to for the composite bones
of the sacrum and the coccyx
From superior to inferior the bones are
designated by location and number
Cervical 7
Thoracic 12
Lumbar 5
Vertebral column
The number of bones in each group can
remembered by the time of day we typically
eat.
7 Cervical
12 Thoracic
5 Lumbar
Individual vertebrae are separated by flexible
fibrocartilage intervertebral disks
Vertebral column
The intervertebral disks absorb shock, and
are highly compressible.
They are 90% water
As we age, the water content decreases and
the disks become less flexible
This helps explain why some elderly people
seem to shrink with age.
Vertebral column
Herniated, or slipped disks can press
against the spinal cord or nerves that exit the
spinal cord..
This can result in extreme pain, and loss of
function
Spinal Curvatures
The spine is curved to help absorb shock.

Vertebral column
The thoracic and sacral curves are called
primary curves because they are present at
birth.
The secondary curves develop later.
The cervical develops when the baby begins
to raise its head, and the lumbar when the
child begins to walk.
Structure of Vertebrae
All vertebrae have a similar structural pattern.
Some common features:
Body or centrum: the weight bearing part of the
vertebra, and it faces anteriorly.
Vertebral arch: formed by the joining of all the
posterior extensions from the body of the vertebrae.
Vertebral foramen: canal through which the spinal
cord passes.
Structure of Vertebrae
Transverese Process: Two lateral projections from
the vertebral arch
Spinous Process : Single projection arising from the
posterior aspect of the vertebral arch.
Superior and Inferior Articular Processes : paired
projections that allow vertebra to form joints with
adjacent vertebrae
Vertebral arch: formed by the joining of all the
posterior extensions from the body of the vertebrae.

Structure of Cervical Vertebrae
Cervical vertebrae ( C1 to C7 )form the neck
region of the spine.
C1 and C2 are specialized, they perform
functions not shared by other vcervical
vertebrae
The Atlas ( C1)
Has no body

Regional Characteristics of
Vertebrae
Figure 5.17ab
Structure of Cervical Vertebrae
Transverse processes have depressions that
receive the occipital condyles.
The Axis ( C2 ) Acts as a pivot for the atlas
and the skull
C3 through C7 are the smallest and lightest
vertebrae
Their spinous processes are short and divide
into two branches.
Structure of Cervical Vertebrae
The transverse processes contain foramina
for the arteries to pass through on their way
to the brain.
They are the only group of vertebrae with this
feature.
Regional Characteristics of
Vertebrae
Figure 5.17ab
Structure of Thoracic
Vertebrae
Thoracic vertebrae ( T1 T 12 ).
Larger than cervical vertebrae
Have two costal demifacets on each side to
receive the head of the ribs
Have long spinous processes that angle
sharply downward.
When viewed from the side resemble the
head of giraffe
Regional Characteristics of
Vertebrae
Figure 5.17cd
Structure of Lumbar Vertebrae
Lumbar vertebrae ( L1 L 5 ).
Are the strongest and stursiest of all
vertebrae.
Have large block- like bodies
Spinous processes are short, and hatchet
shaped.
When viewed from the side resemble the
head of a moose.
The Sacrum
Formed by 5 fused vertebrae
Superior aspect articulates with the inferior
aspect of L5
Laterally the wing-like alae articulate with the
hip bones to form the sacroiliac joints
It forms the posterior wall of the pelvis
The vertebral canal continues inside the
sacrum as the sacral canal
The Sacrum

The Coccyx
Formed by the fusion of 3 to 5 tiny irregular
vertebrae
It is the vestigial tail in humans

The Thorax
The sternum, ribs and thoracic vertebrae make
up the thorax, or thoracic cage
The Thorax
The Thoracic cage surrounds and protects
the heart, lungs and major blood vessels.
The Sternum
Is a flat bone composed of the fusion of 3
bones. Superior to inferior they are:
Manubrium
Body ( Gladiolus)
Xiphoid process
The Thorax
The Sternum
The sternum articulates with the first 7 pairs
of ribs.
The sternum has 3 important landmarks
The jugular notch
The sternal angle
The xiphisternal joint
The Sternum
The jugular notch: the concave upper part of the
manubrium, usually at the level of T3
The sternal angle : site where the manubrium and
the gladiolus meet to form a slight angle.
It is the reference point for locating the second
intecostal space for listening to the heart valves
Xiphisternal joint : Where the sternal body and the
xiphoid process meet. Used as a landmark to locate
the level of T9
The Ribs
12 Pairs of ribs form the thoracic cage
Men and women have the SAME number of
ribs
All ribs articulate with the vertebral column
posteriorly
The first 7 pairs are known as true ribs
because they attach directly to the sternum
by costal cartilage
The Ribs
The next 5 pairs are false ribs because they
either attach indirectly to the sternum, or not
at all
The last 2 pairs of false ribs lack sternal
attachment, and are called floating ribs