Skeletal & Muscular System

 

Body Cavities

p        The body is divided into several cavities

p        It is much easier to study and located organs if they are divided into different regions of the body

The human body contains:

•           The ventral cavity: (ventral means front)

p       Includes the thoracic cavity, abdominal cavity and the diaphragm

•           The thoracic cavity:

p       Includes the lungs, trachea, esophagus, and heart

•           Pericardial cavity: encloses the heart

•           Abdominal cavity:

p       Includes the stomach, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, intestines, kidneys, spleen, (and ovaries and uterus in females)

Body cavities cont.

•           Dorsal cavity: (means back)

p       Includes brain and spinal cord

•           Cranial cavity:

p       Includes the brain

•           Spinal cavity:

p       Includes the spinal cord

The Skeletal System

p    Includes two main parts

n   Axial skeleton: skull, vertebral column, sacrum, breastbone, and ribs

n   Appendicular skeleton: bones of the arms, legs, shoulder, and pelvic bone

Main Functions:

p   Provide support and form

p   Muscle attachment location

p   Protection of delicate organs

p   Storage of minerals

p   Bone marrow produces blood cells

Formation of bone

p        The formation of bone is called “ossification”

p        There are two ways bones form

•         Cartilage to bone (babies until 2 months)

•         Membrane layers to bone (occurs in most flat bones)

Structure of Bone

p    Periosteum: tough fibrous material covering the bone that contains blood vessels

p    Compact bone: located on outer shafts of long bones; extremely hard

p    Haversian canals: channels formed in long compact bone

p    Osteocytes: bone cells

p    Bone Marrow:

n   Red: found in flat bones and some ends of long bones, and vertebrae

p  Forms red corpuscles and most white corpuscles

n   Yellow: found in long bones, mostly fat cells

p  Only makes corpuscles in emergency situations

Types of bones

p  There are 206 individual bones in the body

n  4 different types:

p Long bones: arms and legs

p Short bones: wrist and ankle bones

p Flat bones: shoulder and cranium

p Irregular bones: vertebrae

§   Sesamoid bones – small round nodules that develop a tendon (example: patella)

Disorder of the Skeletal System

p   Many disorders result from deficiencies in mineral supply or necessary vitamins or lack of hormones

p   Osteomyelitis – general name for a range of infections of the bone

p   Causes of many infections:

n   Invasion of bacteria (external or internal)

n   Injury to bone due to a hard blow

Joint Disorders

p   Arthritis: disease of the joints

n   Osteoarthritis

p  Usually results from aging (25-50 years old)

p  Irritation of joints caused by wear or abrasion

n   Rheumatoid arthritus

p  Severe from of disease

p  3x more common in females

p  Joints become swollen and painful due to inflammation of synovial membrane

p  Pain can cause muscle spasms which can cause deformity

p  Late stages – cartilage is destroyed and Calcium forms

Injuries of the Skeletal System

p   Dislocation: bone is forced out of its proper position

p   Sprain: joint is subjected to sudden, unnatural motion

        -tearing of tendons may occur

p   Fractures:

n   Simple: bone breaks but doesn’t protrude out of skin

n   Compound: broken ends of a fractured bone protrude out of the skin

Examples:

Muscular System

p   Provides movement of the skeleton

p   There are 600 different types of muscle

p   This system makes up half your body weight

 

Types of Muscles

•           Skeletal: attached to bones to move parts of the skeleton

p       Voluntary and striated (looks striped under a microscope)

•           Visceral: found in the walls of blood vessels, stomach, intestines, and internal organs

p       No striations and is involuntary

p       Also called smooth muscle

•           Cardiac: found in the heart

p       Striated and involuntary

The make up of skeletal muscle

p   Muscles are made up of fibers

n   1-80mm in length

n   Each fiber contains myofibrils (which run the length of the fiber)

n   Myofibrils are bundles of 2 kinds of protein

p  Myosin filaments: thick (10mm)

p  Actin filaments: thin (5mm)

 

(see the Inside Story pg. 938)

 

How muscles are put together

How does the muscle work?

p   When ATP is supplied to a muscle through an activation of a nerve impulse – contraction occurs

p   Nerve contacts to muscles are branched and stimulate many muscle fibers at once

n   Nerve cells + Muscle cells = MOTOR UNIT

p   When a motor unit is activated is considered “all or none”

n   Strength depends on how many motor units are activated (1 unit will always contract to the same strength every time)

How muscles work (more detail)

Muscle Actions

p   Muscles attach to bone in two places

n   Point of origin: attachment to stationary part

n   Point of insertion: attachment to moveable part

p   Movement of the trunk or limbs are done in pairs

Types of Muscles

•          Flexors: bend joints (ex. Biceps)

•          Extensors: straighten joints (ex. Triceps)

•          Abductors: moves a limb away from body

•          Adductors: move limb toward body

Types of Contractions

p   Isometric: constant length, no shortening occurs

n   Weight lifter with weight above head

p   Isotonic: constant force, length changes

n   Moving weights

Disorders

p   Seldom involved with infectious disease

p   Usually injured from an external source

n   Over exercise

n   Injury

 

Types of disorders

p    Pulled tendons

n   Tendon separates from muscle

p    Contusions

n   Blood vessels break due to severe blow

n   Discolored, painful, and swelling

n   Contraction of muscle is painful

p    Hernia

n   Organ protrudes through the wall of muscle tissue in which it is housed (usually the abdomen)

p    Muscle pull/strain

n   Muscle fibers overstretched or separated