Skeletal System

bone marrow

1. the part of a bone that produces blood cells

bone marrow

• In the centers of long bones are large openings called cavities. These cavities and the spaces in spongy bone are filled with a substance called marrow.

• Some marrow is yellow and is composed of fat cells.

• Red marrow produces red blood cells at an incredible rate of 2 million to 3 million cells per second.

cartilage

2. a soft, flexible tissue that makes up most of the skeleton of an infant and is found in the nose, ears, and the at the end of long bones of adults

cartilage

• The ends of bones are covered with a smooth, slippery, thick layer of tissue called cartilage.

• Cartilage does not contain blood vessels or minerals.

• Cartilage is flexible and important in joints because it acts as a shock absorber.

cartilage

• It also makes movement easier by reducing friction that would be caused by bones rubbing together.

• Months before your birth, your skeleton was made of cartilage.

• Gradually the cartilage broke down and was replaced by bone.

cartilage

• At birth, your skeleton was made up of more than 300 bones.

• As you developed, some bones fused, or grew together, so that now you have only 206 bones.

• Anyplace where two or more bones come together is a joint.

• The bones making up healthy joints are kept far enough apart by a thin layer of cartilage.

• The bones are held in place at these joints by a tough band of tissue called a ligament.

• Muscles move bones by moving joints.

joint

3. a place where two bones come together

ligament

4. a strong connective tissue that hold bones together at movable joints

• Without the protection of the cartilage at the end of your bones, they also would wear away at the joints.

• Cartilage helps make joint movement easier. It reduces friction and allows bones to slide more easily over each other.

osteoarthritis

5. a condition where bones become weak and break easily due to the loss of minerals such as calcium

• Arthritis is the most common joint problem.• About one out of every seven people in the United States suffers from arthritis with the same symptoms: pain, stiffness, and swelling of the joints.

• Osteoarthritis results when cartilage breaks down because of years of use.

• Rheumatoid arthritis is an ongoing condition in which the body’s immune system tries to destroy its own tissues.

• A ball-and-socket joint consists of a bone with a rounded end that fits into a cuplike cavity on another bone.

• A ball-and-socket joint provides a wide range of motion.

• A hinge joint has a back-and-forth movement like hinges on a door.

• Elbows, knees, and fingers have hinge joints.

• Hinge joints have a smaller range of motion and are not dislocated as easily, or pulled apart, as a ball-and-socket joint can be.

Joint Location Type of Movement

Ball-and-socket

shoulders

hips

A wide range of movement

Hinge knees

elbows

fingers

back-and-forth movement like hinges on a door

smaller range of motion than ball and socket and are not dislocated as easily, or pulled apart, as a ball-and-socket joint can be)

• In a pivot joint, one bone rotates in a ring of another bone that does not move.

• Turning your head is an example of a pivot movement.

• A fourth type of joint is a gliding joint in which one part of a bone slides over another bone.

• Gliding joints are used the most in your body.

• Gliding joints also move in a back-and-forth motion and are found in your wrists and ankles and between vertebrae.

• Joints are broadly classified as immovable or movable.

• An immovable joint allows little or no movement.

• The joints of the bones in your skull and pelvis are classified as immovable joints.

Joint Location Type of Movement

Pivot Arm

Turning your head

one bone rotates in a ring of another bone that does not move

Gliding Wrists

Ankles Between vertebrae (bones of the spine)

one part of a bone slides over another bone (most used type in your body)

Im-movable

SkullPelvis

Don’t move

Question 1Which is NOT a function of your skeletal system?

A. gives shape and support to bodyB. protects internal organsC. produces blood cellsD. produces calcium and phosphorous

The answer is D

Calcium and phosphorous are stored in bones but they are not produced in bones

Question 2What type of joint is shown in this diagram?

A. ball-and-socketB. glidingC. hingeD. immovable

The answer is C.

A hinge joint has back and forth movement like the hinges on a door. Elbows, knees, and fingers have hinge joints.

Question 3Which is a place where two or more bones come together?

A. cartilageB. ligamentC. muscleD. joint

The answer is D.Cartilage keeps the bones in joints far enough apart that they don’t rub together.