Musculoskeletal System

• What is the cranium?

  The part of the skull that encloses the brain
• What are the vertebrae?

  Make up the spinal column

  Separated by discs of cartilage

  Held together by ligaments

  Enclose and protect the spinal cord
• What is the sternum?

  Long, flat bone in the middle of the upper part of the chest

  Top of the sternum supports the clavicles
• What is the rib cage?

  Contains 12 pairs of ribs, the spinal column and the sternum

  Protects the lungs, heart and major blood vessels
• What is the humerus?

  The long bone of the upper arm
• What is the radius and the ulna?

  The two long bones of the forearm

  The radius extends from the further side of the elbow to the thumb side of the wrist

  The ulna extends from the inner side of the elbow to the little finger side of the wrist

  Ulna is longer but thinner than the radius
• What is the pelvis?

  Region between the abdomen and the thighs

  Formed from the sacrum and the coccyx (vertebrae at the base of the spinal column) and the hip bones

  Protects the reproductive organs and the rectum and supports the organs of the abdomen
• What is the femur?

  Single bone in the upper leg

  Largest and thickest bone in the body
• What is the tibia?

  The larger and stronger of the two bones of the lower leg

  Lies in front of the fibula

  Connects the knee with the ankle
• What is the fibula?

  Lies behind and further out of the tibia

  Lower part of the fibula extends below the length of the tibia and helps to stabilise the ankle joint
• What are fibrous joints?

  Where bones are fused together, usually to create a structure

  Example: skull
• What are cartilaginous joints?

  Bones are connected by relatively flexible cartilage that allows some movement

  Example: rib cage
• What are synovial joints?

  Also known as ball and socket joints

  Have cartilage providing cushioning between the joined bones

  Have a synovial capsule consisting of connective tissue containing synovial fluid, lubricating the joint and allowing smoother movement and reducing wear
• What is the general structure of striated muscle?

  Individual muscle cells are called muscle fibres which are held together in bundles by a sheath of connective tissue

  These contain many myofibrils which are responsible for muscle contraction

  Several of these bundles will make a single muscle

  Tendons at the ends of each muscle attach it to the bones
• What are the functions of the musculoskeletal system?

  Blood production:

  Bone marrow in the long bones contain many stem cells that can delevop into all the different types of blood cells

  Mineral storage:

  Bone is a complex structure of cells embedded in a hard material consisting of the protein collagen and the inorganic compound calcium phosphate

  The presence of large amounts of calcium phosphate allows bone to act as a resevoir of both of the minerals that are important for many processes in the body