Bone Stucture

We did a whole unit of bones and I learned more about the skelatal system more than any other body system this semester. We had a number of different projects and activities to learn more about bone.

There are two different classification of bones. They are the axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton.

Axial Skeleton
The axial skeleton consists of the skull bones, the neck, the rib cage, and the back vertebrae.

Appendicular Skeleton

The Appendicular Skeleton consists of, the shoulders, the limbs, and the hips

Classification of Bones: By Shape

There are four different types of bones which are long bones that are longer than they are wide such as the humorous, short bones that are cubed shaped bones of the wrist and ankle and bones that form within tendons, flat bones that are thin flattened and a bit curved, and irregular bones that are weird shaped.

Long Bones

Short Bones

Flat Bones

Irregular Bones

What are the functions of bones?

There are many different functions to bones and some of them are very obvious. The bones give support because it forms a frame the supports the body and protects soft organs. The bones also give protection by providing a frame for the brain, spinal cord, and vital organs so the are unlikely to get damaged. Movement is a very important thing for our body and the bones provide levers for muscles so we can move.Mineral storage is a huge thing that bones do because it makes the bones stronger. When you are little your parents always told you to drink alot of milk. This is because milk provides calcium and bones store calcium for strength. Bones also store phosphorus. Blood cell formation also happens in the bone. This is a process called hematopoiesis and it occurs within the marrow cavities of bone.

What are the Structures of Different Bones?

Long Bones

These bones consist of a diaphysis and an epiphysis. In the diaphysis there is a tubular shaft that forms the length and axis of long bones. This part of the bone is composed of compact bone that surrounds the medullary cavity. The medullary cavity is where yellow bone marrow or (fat) is stored. The epiphysis is the expanded ends of the long bones. The exterior of this part of bone is compact bone and then the interior is spongy bone. The joint surface on the tip of each side is covered with articular (hyaline) cartilage. There is a line that separates the epiphysis from the diaphysis call the epiphyseal line.