Without the skeletal system, you would be a limp mass of organs, muscle, and skin.īones also facilitate movement by serving as points of attachment for your muscles. Just as the steel beams of a building provide a scaffold to support its weight, the bones and cartilage of your skeletal system compose the scaffold that supports the rest of your body. The cranium completely surrounds and protects the brain from non-traumatic injury. Simply by looking at a person, you can see how the bones support, facilitate movement, and protect the human body.įigure 1. Bones Protect Brain. The most apparent functions of the skeletal system are the gross functions-those visible by observation. storage and release of the inorganic minerals calcium and phosphorous, which are needed for functions such as muscle contraction and neural signal conduction.

hematopoiesis, or generation of blood cells, within the red marrow spaces of bones.

body locomotion through coordination with the muscular system.protection of vital structures, such as the spinal cord, brain, heart, and lungs.The skeletal system is the body system composed of bones and cartilage and performs the following critical functions for the human body: In the areas of the skeleton where bones move (for example, the ribcage and joints), cartilage, a semi-rigid form of connective tissue, provides flexibility and smooth surfaces for movement. Describe the effects of hormones on bone tissue, the process of calcium homeostasisīone, or osseous tissue, is a hard, dense connective tissue that forms most of the adult skeleton, the support structure of the body.Describe the disorders of the skeletal system.Describe the effect exercise has on bone tissue.Describe the steps involved in bone development and bone repair.Describe various skeletal joints and the movements possible.Identify all the bones of the axial and appendicular skeleton.Describe the microscopic structure of compact bone, and compare it with that of spongy bone.Identify the anatomical features of a long bone.Distinguish between long bones, short bones, flat bones, and irregular bones and provide an example of each.Describe the functions of the skeletal system.

Flat bone