SKELETAL SYSTEM

Hansel M. Gadon, MAN

Overview
▪ The term skeleton is derived from a Greek word
which means dried up.
▪ The Skeletal System consists of bones and their
associated connected tissues, including cartilage,
tendons, and ligaments.
▪ It actually consists dynamic living tissues that are
capable of growth, detect pain stimuli, adapt to
stress and undergo repair after injury.
2 Divisions
▪ Axial Skeleton
 Bones that form the longitudinal axis of the
body

▪ Appendicular Skeleton
 Bones of the limbs and girdle
Functions of the Skeletal System

▪ Support
▪ Protection
▪ Movement
▪ Storage
▪ Blood Cell Formation
Classification of Bones
▪ The adult skeleton is composed of 206
bones. There are 2 types of osseous or
bone tissue:
 Compact bone – dense and looks smooth and
homogenous
 Spongy – composed of small needlelike pieces
of bone and lot of open space
▪ Long bones
▪ Short bones
▪ Flat bones
▪ Irregular bones
The Structure of a Long Bone
▪ Gigantism
▪ Acromegaly
▪ dwarfism
Microscopic Anatomy
Common
Fractures
Stages in the healing of a Bone Fracture
AXIAL SKELETON
▪ Forms the longitudinal axis of the body
known as the green portion of the picture.

▪ It can be divided into 3 parts:

 Skull
 Vertebral column
 Bony thorax
Skull
▪ It is formed by 2 sets of bones.
▪ The cranium encloses and protects the
brain.
▪ The facial bones hold the eyes in anterior
portion and allow facial muscles to show
our feelings.
▪ It is joined together by sutures.
Cranium
▪ Composed of 8 large flat bones.
▪ Frontal bone – forms
▪ Parietal bones – paired parietal bones form
most of the superior and lateral walls of the
cranium. They meet in the midline at
sagittal suture and form the coronal suture
where they meet the frontal bone.
▪ Temporal bone – lie inferior to the parietal
bones. They join at the squamous suture.
▪ Occipital bone – most posterior bone of
the cranium. It joins the parietal bone
anteriorly at the lambdoid suture. At the
base is the foramen magnum (large hole)
Facial Bones
▪ Maxillae – fuse to form the upper jaw. It
carries the upper teeth in the alveolar
margin
▪ Palatine bones – paired palatine bones lie
posterior to the palatine processes of the
maxillae. (cleft palate)
▪ Zygomatic bones – cheekbones
▪ Lacrimal bones – fingernail-size bones
forming the part of the medial walls of the
orbit. Passageway for tears.
▪ Nasal bones – bridge of the nose. Lower
part of the nose is made up of cartilage.
▪ Vomer bone – single bone in the median
line of the nasal cavity.
▪ Inferior nasal conchae – thin, curved bones
projecting from the lateral walls of the
nasal cavity.
▪ Mandible – lower jaw
The Hyoid Bone
▪ Not really part of the skull
▪ Closely related to the mandible and
temporal bones.
▪ Serves as the movable base for the tongue
and attachment point for neck muscles
that raise and lower the larynx when we
swallow and speak.
Fetal Skull
▪ Adult skull represents only 1/8 of the total
body length, whereas that of a newborn
infant is ¼ as long as its entire body.
▪ When a baby is born, skeleton is still
unfinished.
▪ Fibrous membranes connecting the cranial
bones is called the fontanels (little fountain).
▪ Baby’s pulse can be felt in these soft spots.
▪ Largest fontanels are the diamond shaped
anterior fontanel and the smaller triangular
posterior fontanel.
▪ Can no longer be felt by 22-24 months
after birth.
Vertebral Column (Spine)
▪ Serving a the axial support of the body, the
vertebral column or spine extends from the
skull.
▪ It is formed from 26 irregular bones
connected and reinforce by ligaments in
such a way that is flexible.
▪ It surrounds and protects the spinal cord.
▪ Before birth, it consists of 33 separate bones
called vertebrae but 9 of these eventually
fuse to form the 2 composite bones, the
sacrum and coccyx.
▪ Of the 24 single bones
 7 cervical vertebrae
 12 thoracic vertebrae
 5 lumbar vertabrae
▪ Remembering common meal times
 7am
 12pm
 5pm
▪ A single vertebrae are separated by pads
called intervertebral disc – which cushion
the vertebrae and absorb shocks while
allowing flexibility.
▪ A younger person, the disc have high water
content (about 90%) are spongy and
compressible but as the person ages, the
water content decreases and become
harder.
Cervical Vertebrae
▪ 7 cervical vertebrae (C1-C7) form the neck
region of the spine
▪ The first 2 vertebrae (atlas and axis) are
different because they perform functions
not shared by the other. The atlas (C1) has
no body. The axis (C2) acts as the pivot for
the rotation of the atlas and skull above.
▪ A typical cervical vertebrae (C3 through C7)
▪ Are the smallest, lightest vertebrae and most
spinous process are short and divided into
branches.

A typical vertebra
Thoracic Vertebrae
▪ The 12 thoracic vertebrae (T1-T12) are all typical
▪ Larger than cervical vertebrae.

Lumbar Vertebrae
▪ The 5lumbar vertebra (L1 – L5) have massive
blocklike bodies.
▪ These are the sturdiest of the vertebrae
because most of the stress re there.
Sacrum
▪ Formed by the fusion of the 5 vertebrae
▪ It forms the posterior wall of the pelvis

Coccyx
▪ Formed from the fusion of the 3-5 tiny
irregular vertebrae
▪ It is the human tailbone
Bony Thorax
▪ The sternum, ribs and thoracic vertebrae
make up the bony thorax.
▪ Often called the thoracic cage.
Sternum
▪ AKA breastbone is a typical flat bone and
the result of the fusion of the 3 bones –
the manubrium, body and xyphoid process
attached to the first 7 pairs of ribs.
▪ The sternum has 3 important bony
landmarks
 Jugular notch
 Sternal angle
 Xiphisternal joint
Ribs
▪ 12 pairs of ribs from the walls of the bony
thorax.
▪ The true ribs, the first 7 pairs attach
directly to the sternum by costal cartilages.
▪ The false ribs, the next 5 pairs, indirectly
attached to the sternum at all. The last 2
pairs of false ribs are called floating ribs.
APPENDICULAR SKELETON
▪ It is composed of 126 bones of the limbs
and the pectoral and pelvic girdles which
attach to the limbs to the axial skeleton.
Bones of the Shoulder Girdle
▪ Each shoulder girdle or pectoral girdle
consists of 2 bones – a clavicle and a scapula

▪ Clavicle
 Collarbone
 Attach to the manubrium of the sternum
medially and to the scapula laterally.
▪ Scapulae
 Shoulder blades, “wings”
Bones of the Upper Limbs
▪ 30 separate bones form the skeletal
framework of each upper limb.

▪ Arm
▪ Forearm
▪ Hand
Bones of the Pelvic Girdle
▪ Pelvic girdle is formed by 2 coxal bones or
ossa coxae called hip bones.
▪ Together with the sacrum and coccyx, the
hip bones form the bony pelvis.
Bone of the Lower Limbs
▪ Carry our total body weight when we are
erect.

▪ Thigh
▪ Leg
▪ Foot
Joints
▪ AKA articulatons
▪ Have 2 functions:
 They hold the bones together securely
 Give rigid skeleton mobility