C1 - Skeletal System

• Our skeletal system adapts in response to resistance or weight-bearing exercise.

  The response is primarily to become stronger and more able to withstand impact which means you are less likely to break a bone if you fall over
• Weight-bearing exercise is where we are using our body weight as a form of resistance
• Osteoblast, Osteoclast and Osteocyte activity, Bone Remodelling and Bone Mineral Content:

  • Resistance or weight-bearing exercise has the effect of increasing the strength if out bones
  • This occurs because the stimulation of exercise means the bone remodelling stages are stimulated
  • The process of remodelling starts by osteoclasts destroying areas of older bone and the tissue is then reabsorbed by the body
• Osteoblast, Osteoclast and Osteocyte activity, Bone Remodelling and Bone Mineral Content:

  • The remodelling process by the osteoclasts activates the osteoblasts to start to lay down collagen and minerals in the area that was destroyed and start the process of remodelling
  • The osteoblasts turn into osteocytes which are bones cells and form the new bone
  • There is an increased uptake of minerals, mainly calcium and phosphorus, by the bone during this process if they are available in the body, which makes the bones harder and stronger
• Collagen Content:

  • Exercise also has an effect on joints by increasing the collagen content of the cartilage, tendons and ligaments
  • This increase in collagen increases the thickness of the cartilage at the ends of the bones
  • This will have the effect of making joints stronger and less prone to injury
• Collagen Content:

  • The increase in collagen content of the muscle tendons will make then stronger and less prone to injury
  • Lastly, the increase in collagen content in the ligaments which hold our bones together makes them stronger and therefore able to withstand stretching forces to a greater degree; this again will help to prevent injuries such as joint strains