Our Bones & MusclesWhat holds up your body.... helping you tostand, walk, sit or chew your food?What protects your brains, your liver and yourheart from getting damaged?What helps you run from danger?

Our bones hold our body up.Bones help us do our work.

Without bones, we would belike a rag doll.

But what helps Our Bones Move?

They are Our Muscles.

Fixed to our bones, muscles are the onespulling at the bones and letting our body

move.

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Our Bones

HOW SOME OF YOURBONES WORK?

While the hands move to takethe food to the mouth, the jawmoves to munch and grind thefood.

Legs help us in running. Theribs keep expanding and con-tracting about eighteen timesevery minute to help usbreathe.

The skull protects the brainfrom injury —imagine whatwould happen to the soft brain( it is as fluid as rice porridge!)if there was no skull?

The rib-cage protects the heartand lungs. The pelvis protectsthe urinary bladder, and inwomen the uterus – (yu-ter-us)—or womb.

Some bones are long,like the Femur –- fee-mer ——in the thighis the longest bone ofthe body.

Humerus –hyu-mer-us in theupper arm is thebone between theshoulder andelbow

Flat Bones : Ourblood is made inthese flat bones- inour skull and alsoribs.

Some of the small-est bones of thebody are attachedto our eardrumsand help us in hear-ing.

Why are bones important?• They make the shape and form of the body.

• They end in joints that make movement possible.

• They allow us to eat food.

• They are necessary for running away or fighting.

• They protect important organs like the brain and heart.

• Blood cells are made in some of the bones.

• They start the breathing process.

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1. The skull (head)It has a number of flat bones that are joined together.These bones make our red blood cells. The skull pro-tects the most important organ. It has holes belowthat allow various nerves and blood vessels to go andcome to/from the brain.

Skeleton is the bony framework of the body andcan be divided into:

1.1.1.1.1. Skull (head)2. 2. 2. 2. 2. Vertebral column (neck and backbone)3.3.3.3.3. Rib-cage (chest)4.4.4.4.4. Upper and lower limbs.

Parts of the Skeleton

The eardrum and its bones that help ushear, and small semicircular canals thathelp our brains determine our position andbalance are also located inside the skull.

How many Bones in OurSkeleton?

206 bones make up our skeleton. Skelton isthe form that is left behind when all the softtissues are removed from the body. Some ofyou must have seen human skeletons whengraves are dug or when bodies are found af-ter a long time.

Sinus pocketsin the skull

Sinuses are air-pockets inside theskull like in the faceand forehead. In-fection or allergycan cause pain andswelling insidethem. This is calledsinusitis.

The Ear

Flat bones make up theskull. Blood is made in

these flat bones.

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2. Verterbral ColumnThe vertebral column has 33 bones (each called vertebra) piled one on theother, starting from the neck and ending in the lower back just behind ouranus (where our stools come out from). You may be able to count most ofthem as you run your finger starting from the back of the skull going downthe neck, chest and back and loin to the area between the buttocks.

Between every two vertebrra, we have a cushion like disc through whichthe spinal cord carry all the connecting nerves to and from the brain. Un-like the bones of the neck and back which allows easy movement, the ver-tebrae between the chest and pelvis do not allow much movement. Thebones of the vertebral column also produce blood cells for the body. Moreimportantly, they allow us to stand erect and upright and hence, makes ushuman beings different from animls.

3. Rib CageThe rib-cage has 12 pairs of flat bones, ten ofthem joined to the vertebrae behind. In thefront they are joined to softer cartilages thatare attached further to the bone in the mid-dle. This allows easy movement for breath-ing.

The ribs protect the windpipe, foodpipe, lungs, heart and the major bloodtubes that leave the heart. The ribcagealso protects the liver in the front andalso the kidneys behind to some extent.The ribs make blood cells besides help-ing in breathing in and throwing outair.

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4. Upper and Lower LimbsThe limbs are attached to the central part of the skeleton. Both the upper and lowerlimbs have bigger and longer bones to start with and these become shorter and morenumerous as one goes down.

Why do children breaktheir bones less often?

1. Bones are soft in children and they sufferless bone-fractures in falls. As we grow in age,the bones keep getting harder and suffer morefractures.

2. Bones in children are soft as they need togrow, but if they do not get enough Calciumand Vitamin D (mainly from sunlight) neededfor absorbing the Calium to make the boneshard, the bones will bend and become de-formed. This is called “rickets”.

Bones Need to Heal FullyBones provide attachments for muscles to move. Ifthey do not heal properly in their original shape, theymay result in deformity and we will not be able tomove the joints. For this, and to reduce pain, it isimportant to “splint” the fractured part with a hardstick, etc. and later put a firm plaster so that the dis-rupted parts can align themselves correctly as they

heal. A sling also acts like a splint for fractures of the foreaem &arms.

Each upper limb has:1 bone in the upper arm, twoin the forearm, eight in thewrist, five in the palm andfourteen in the fingers.(1+2+8+5+14)

Each lower limb has:1 bone in the thigh, two in theleg, seven in the ankle, fivein the foot and fourteen in thetoes. It also has a knee cap infront of each knee.(1+2+7+5+14)

Upper limbLower Limb

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MUSCLES of our Body

What Are Muscles?MUSCLES are what you can easily feel on your thigh or abovethe elbow. They are fixed to the end of two bones to movethem. When you want to fold your arm, the brain orders themuscles in the arms to shorten so that it pulls both the bonestowards each other.

Try this out: Try tofold your elbow whileyour neighbourpresses on your wristto stop you. Feel themuscles above yourelbow getting harder.

How Do OurMuscles Work?

Nerves connect the brainand the muscle. They bringcommands from the braintelling the muscle to moveor to stop.

The brain tells one group ofmuscles to tigthen and theopposite group to loosen sothat we are able to movethat part.

When we have had enoughmovement, the nerves carryinformation to the brain toorder the muscles to stop .The same signals are passedto the joints of our body.This complex system ofnerves with the musclesand joints is needed to keepour balance and to preventus from falling.

Muscles are at-tached to bones ondifferent sides of thejoint. Hence, when-ever they tigthen,they will move thejoint in the directionsshown by the arrows.

Types ofMuscles

The muscles attachedto our bones can bemoved whenever wewant and are calledvoluntary muscles.Another type of mus-cles are involuntary,i.e., they cannot be or-dered to move andthey work on theirown. They work auto-matically.

Examples of involun-tary or automatic mus-cles are those in the in-testines . They squeezeand relax automati-cally so as to push thefood from the top ofthe intestine towardsthe bottom and out ofour body.

arm muscles at-tached to boneshelp our arms to

move

Did You Know This?The Heart is a Muscle. It isinvoluntary (automatic) andworks by itself. It is veryspecial because it is hard-working and a centre of non-stop activity. The heartkeeps pumping at 80 times aminute all through our livesto pump out about half a cupof blood every minute !

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Keeping Your Muscles Fit

1. Muscle Tear :Strain, excessive exercise or injury may cause muscle tear. The muscles need to berested for some time followed by slow and careful return to activity.

2. Muscles Of Intestine Tighten and can Cause PainTo throw out disease causing germs from our intestines, the muscles may squeezefaster and tighter. This causes pain and loose motions. Though some medicinesmay lessen the squeezing and the pain, one should be careful about giving such

medicines too early. If given carelessly, the infection may stay on longerand cause more harm.

3. Keeping the Heart Muscles FitThe heart muscle may not get enough blood supply for its non-stopactivity especially in smokers and old people and may thus stop func-tioning. This is what is called aheart attack.

4. Muscles Need MineralsTo do their work well, muscles need smallamounts of minerals like sodium, potassiumand calcium. These are found in soil, salt,vegetables, fruit, milk and meat. They areabsorbed from the food in small amountsand are also lost by the body through sweat-ing and urine and stools. That is why ourmuscles feel tired when we have diarrhoea or when we sweat too much !

5. Muscles Need FoodTo prevent important muscles like the heart from getting affected during a diar-rhoea and illnesses, we must continue to give food and ORS or sugar-salt solution.

We EatMuscles

Did you know thatthe flesh we eat ofanimals like goat,chicken, pig, cow

etc. are actually the muscles of thatanimal?!

Muscles Help ChangeOur Expressions

Some of the muscles alsoend into skin, like the oneson our face. These muscleshelp to change our expres-sion.

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LIGAMENTS are also like tough bands and ropes that holdthe bones together. They prevent the joint from moving beyond alimit and thus make the joints more stable.

However, when we have a fall or an accident or while playing games, theligaments may tear or break. Because tendons and ligaments are poorlysupplied by blood tubes, healing is difficult. It may take much longer andmay even need an operation to repair tendons and ligaments.

TENDONS: Small bones as in thehands and feet need a lot of different mus-cles to move. But there is notenough space for the muscles tobe attached to the bones. Hence,these muscles end in tough ropelike things called tendons.These can attach easily to thesmall bones. You can feel theseon the front of your wrist and ontop of foot close to the big toe.

As many of the tendons have topass over joints that keep mov-ing and hence may get damaged,there are bags of oily substancethat separate them from thejoints. Occasionally these toomay get swollen and cause pain.

Tendons

Bags of oilysubstance

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Movement of the bones is possible atJoints:

* Joints like those of the hip and the shoul-der allow for full round movement;there are higher chances of pulling thebones out of their place (Ball and socketjoint).

* Joints in the knee and those in the elbowallow movemnet allow in one direction;like in a door (Hinge joint).

* Joints as in the ankle are a mix of the twoabove (saddle joint).

* Joint like the one in our neck that allowsus to turn our head from side to side(Pivot joint).

- Some joints do not allow anymovement, for example, bones inthe skull (Plane joint).

What is Arthritis (ahr-thry-tis)?The ends of each bone of a joint are cov-ered with tough cartilage and with anoily fluid. These help to avoid any fric-tion or roughness in movement. How-ever, due to injuries, disease, or old agethe end of the bones and the cartilagemay get damaged and thus everymovement becomes difficult and pain-ful – this is what is called arthritis.

hinge joints

ball & socketjoint; thumb

saddle joint

JOINTSPlaces where two bones come together are called “joints”.

How to Treat Sprains (Joint Injury) ?1. The bones of a joint may get seperated more than normal during falls, accidents or

while playing. In such a case, you should put ice or cold water pack on the first orsecond day. This should be done many times. The joint will become normal faster.Only after that you should put anything warm on the joint.

2. If pain-relievingmedicines are notenough, the jointmay require to beoperated by a bonespecialist. Thesedays it is possible toeven change the en-tire joint if it is giv-ing trouble like painand swelling.

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Know the Answers

1. Bones are important because they do the following functions:a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

2. Rickets is caused by deficiency of ______________________ and __________________.

3. To allow bones to heal properly to their natural shape and lessen pain after a fracture, we need

to fix them with a ____________________________.

4. Heart is a type of __________________________ muscle because it automatically pumps

blood to _____________ times every minute.

5. Muscles attached to our bones are types of _________________________ muscles because

we can move them whenever we want.

6. Muscles end in rope like structures called ____________________ which attach to the small

bones of our hands and feet.

7. ______________ help to give support and stability to joints.

Mark whether “right “ or “wrong” :a. Knee joint is a type of ball and socket joint.

b. Humerus bone in the leg is the longest bone in our body.

c. Each ear has 3 small bones to help us in hearing.

d. The ribs are attcahed to the vertebral column (or spine).

e. In case of sprains, apply warmth immediately to relieve pain.

Our Bones & Muscles

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BONES&

MUSCLESDiseases

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DISEASES of Our MUSCLES AND BONESOur bones help us do anything we may wish to. But there are times when we face problemswith them due to injury or disease.

1. Muscle CrampsMuscle cramps are often seen when someone is doing heavy work or playing in hot weather.Felt usually in the lower leg or in the foot or in the thigh, the person feels severe pain anda tightening of the muscles there.

Mainly due to heavy work and too much of sweating, the usual reason is less salt in thediet.

What to do?· Ask the person to rest. Lay down the person if possible.

· Giving some warmth to the part will help.

· Feed the person a glass or two of water with a two-finger pinch of salt and some sugar/glucose. This is all that is necessary to relieve the cramp within a few minutes andallow the person to play/work again.

Bone Diseases1. Fractures2. Sprains3. Arthritis4. Backache5. Spine injury

General Principles to deal With Bones & Muscles InjuryUse only Cold Water !· In muscle or bone injuries of all types :

Apply something COLD to the injury for the first two days.Use water which is as cold as possible (with some ice if possi-ble).Soak the part in cold water for 10 -15 minutes four times aday. This reduces the swelling and restores the part to its origi-nal shape.DO NOT apply warm or hot water to it.Do not massage the injured part the first two days.

· ONLY after the first two days, one may apply something hot to thepart. We can put towels dipped in hot water to this part. This attracts blood to the area andwarms it up - both help in healing the injury.

· Allow the part to take rest for a few days. Do not lift heavy weights with an injured arm. And donot bear weight on an injured leg. If necessary, restrict its movement by splinting the part.

· If the pain is too much, eat Anti-inflammatory tablets ASPIRIN, PARACETAMOL or IBUPROFEN.Usually called painkillers, these medicines not only reduce pain but also reduce swelling andredness.

Muscles Diseases

In this section we will learn about:Muscle Diseases1. Muscle Cramps2. Muscle Tear

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2. Muscle TearA sudden sharp pain while playing or lifting heavy weights, etc tells us that it is a muscle tear.This is usually in the thigh or calf, or in the shoulder or back. After the sharp pain, it soons be-comes very painful to move the limb. The area swells up, gets hot and may appear red also.

1. FracturesThe breaking of a bone is called a fracture. Usually a fall on somepart of the body can cause a fracture.

Simple Or Compound FracturesFractures are called simple if there is no injury to the skin above them. If theskin on top of the fracture breaks as a result of the accident, the fractures arecalled Compound fractures.

What Happens in a Fracture?When we see a bent – which is not natural - in that part of the bodywhere an injury has taken place, we can suspect a fracture. The bonehas broken at this point and when we move this part, the ends of thebones rub and cause great pain and swelling.

Besides pain, the ends of the broken bone may also press upon some important part like a bloodtube or a nerve. Always check if the person - with eyes closed — can feel the touch of a soft clothbelow the area of fracture. Also check for the pulse below the fracture. If any of the two are found,RUSH THE PERSON TO A DOCTOR.

What to do in Fractures?· Ask the person not to move the area that is broken.

· Rest the part by splinting it. Tie a cloth or string to pieces of wood oriron that can stretch beyond the joints above and below the fractured bone(s).The arm can be put in a sling. For the shoulder, the entire arm can be tied tothe body at two points. A finger may be tied to the next one to splint it and theleg also to the other in case a stick of suitable size is not available.

· DO NOT pull at the bone. DO not massage the area.

· Pain killers like Injection Morphine may be required if the pain is unbearable. Get an X-Ray andsend the patient to a surgeon.

In case of a compound fracture, clean the wound carefully with a clean swab different from the oneused to clean the dirt from around the injury. If more than six hours have lapsed, the wound mustheal before any attempt is made to correct the fracture.

What to do in Muscle Tear?· Dip the part in cold water, or apply cold water to it.

· Ask the person to rest the part and not move it for a few days at least.

· Apply some cream that has muscle relaxant in it (available under brandnames like DOLOPAR, RELAXYL, BUTARIL, CAPSIGEL orMEDICREME, etc.)

· With food a medicine to decrease the pain and swelling, like ASPIRIN,PARACETAMOL or IPBUPROFEN may also be given.

Check Phase IManual (First Aid)on how to bandage

Bones Diseases

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3. ArthritisAn inflammation of the joints is called Arthritis. Although pain, swell-ing and redness over the joint can also be due to injury - this too can becalled arthritis - commonly the term is used for joint inflammationwhose reason is not clearly known as yet.

Some of the types of arthritis affect only the small joints like that offingers and toes. Starting quite young, such arthritis can be cripplingand can destroy the normal shape of fingers making them crooked.The person often has to be on life-long treatment of medicines likeASPIRIN, PARACETAMOL or IBUPROFEN.

In some others, young women get swelling and pain in their biggerjoints like their knees, elbows and wrists. Such arthritis may affectdaughters of women who also had the trouble. A life long course ofanti-inflammatory drugs may be required.

In old age, wear and tear of joints also causes arthritis, especially inknees, hips and shoulders.

2. SprainsAbnormal twisting of a joint beyond its free range causes pain and swelling inand around the joint. This is called a sprain or a strain. Often seen in the anklewhile landing on a false step or when our foot gets stuck in a crevice, sprains alsohappen in wrists while opening tight containers, in knees while playing sportslike football, etc and in shoulders while wearing clothes.

What to do?• Rest the part for a few days.

• Apply cold cloth over it a few times a day for two days.

• After the first two days, hot fomentation may be done.

• Any liniment or similar cream will help to relieve the pain. A number ofcreams are available in the market, like IODEX, MOOV, etc

• Tablet ASPIRIN, PARACETAMOL or IBUPROFEN with meals maybe needed.

What to do in Arthritis ?What is needed is :1. Warmth over the joints. Arthritis gets worse in the winters,and warm pads over large joints feel very comfortable.

2. Anti-inflammatory drugs on a regular basis.

3. A diet containing amla (gooseberry), lemon, oranges orguava that are rich in Vitamin C may also be helpful.

joint get inflammed- pain, swelling,

redness

Knee JointWith Arthritis

Gooseberry( amla) is very

good for VitaminC.

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4. BackacheBackache is one of the commonest of complaints in recent times. It affects people of all ages. Inearly days, we had strong muscles in our back because we had to do lot of hard work, like carry-ing loads on our heads for long distances. With modern lifestyles, most people use buses andother vehicles and we do not get to use our back muscles all the time.

All of a sudden, if we have to lift a weight or shift some furniture in the house, our muscles whichhas not been used gets overworked. We get strains in the joints of the back, small tears in the backmuscles or to the cushion-like discs between the vertebrae. This causes backache.

1. Rest :Resting theback for a fewdays is wiseor else it ayget worse.

2. Medicines:Anti-inflam-matory medi-cines bymouth andpain relievingcreams likeIODEX andMOOV maybe helpful.

3. Exercise :In those who get backaches very often, it is worthwhile tostrengthen the muscles of the spine with daily exercises.

Try some of these exercises. Do them very slowly.They are very good if practised twice daily on a regular basis. This isthe only sure way of getting rid of your backache on a long term.

• lie on your belly and raise your up-per body on your hands

• lie on your belly; lift your upper bodyand your legs above the ground and tryto hold your feet with your hands)

In those whose backaches started with a clear incident of injury to theback, it is important to consult the doctor before trying any exercises.

What to do in backaches?

How To Avoid Backaches1. Sleep either on the floor or

on a firm flat surface.2. Bend your knees and pick

up heavy weight.

3. Always stand straight.

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5. Spine injuryFor any injury to the spine that may result in severe pain in theback - as in falling from a height - - and/or the inability to movethe limbs, great care needs to be taken.

Lack of care in handling spinal injuries may result not only in afresh paralysis, but may also worsen the injury and the paralysis.

Severe Spine InjuryWhere the person is unable to move her/his legs immediately after the injury,total or partial recovery is also possible. However, in most cases there is nomore recovery after the first month or so. The person, like a child will have tobe retrained to empty her bladder and bowels. She will require a lot more carewith her skin. As she will not be able to move her own legs, she will have to beturned from one side to another every few hours in order to avoid bed soresfrom developing.

What to do in a Spinal Injury?Whenever a person has fallen from a height and complains of a pain in the backor the inability to move her limbs, assume it is a spinal injury.

Carry the person on a hard flat bed or a large piece of wood - e.g., that ofa door, or a special spinal stretcher.

If more than one person needs to move the patient, all of them have tocoordinate their actions so that the spine does not get bent even moreand worsen the injury.

Take the person to a specialist centre where s/he can be rehabilitated inthe use of the spine.

Painkiller like injection Morphine may be necessary to reduce the pain.

In severe spine injury,person could be paralysed

and cannot move. Bed soreswill develop if not careful.Turn the person every fewhours to avoid bed sores.

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Know the Answers

BONES & MUSCLES Diseases

Fill in the blanks with the right answer:1. In any type of bone or muscle injury, you should apply ___________ water for the first two days.

2. In muscle cramps, the person feels severe ____________ and ______________ of muscles.

3. Painkillers like ________________, ____________________ and ______________ can be given in case of severe pain in muscle tear.

4. In sprains the joints get twisted beyond its free range and we will get ________________ and___________________ in and around the joint that is injured.

5. Foods having Vitamin ___ such as _____________, ______________, ___________ should be given people suffering arthritis.

6. Spine injury can result in a person losing movement of the body called ___________.

Mark whether “right” or “wrong” :

1. Something warm must be put at once when there is a muscle tear so that the blood flows quickly to lessen pain.

2. When the top of the skin tears because of a fracture, it is called a coumpund fracture.

3. You should immediately pull the bone and set it in place in case of a fracture.

4. In joint sprains, one should exercise the part as much as possible so that it gets strong faster

5. Arthritis gets worse in cold weather, one should apply warm pads over it.

6. Gooseberry which has Vitamin C should be given to people suffering from arthritis.

7. Exercise for the back is the best way to strengthen back muscles and get rid of back pain.

.

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My Notes12-18