Chapter 7, Lesson 1: Tissues and Organs of the Skeletal System

Flashcards from Chapter 7, Lesson 1 of McGraw Hill Anatomy and Physiology, Ninth Edition, by Kenneth S. Saladin.

Skeletal system

System of the body composed of bones, cartilages, ligaments, and tendons

Cartilage

Connective tissue that covers the surface of mature bones

Ligaments

Connective tissue that links bones at joints

Tendons

Connective tissue that ties muscles to bones

Skeleton functions

• Support and protection of the body’s organs

• Movement alongside muscles

• Electrolyte and acid-base balance by leveling calcium, phosphate, and carbonate salt levels

• Blood formation to support the immune system

Bone (osseous tissue)

The connective tissue hardened by calcium phosphate and other minerals

Minerlization (calcification)

The hardening of bone

Flat bones

Thin, curved bones that protect soft organs

Long bones

Bones that are longer than they are wide and are acted upon as levers for movement by muscle

Short bones

Bones that are approximately equal in length and width that glide across one another in multiple directions

Irregular bones

Bone shapes that do not fit into other categories

Compact bone (dense or cortical)

The dense outer shell of the bone; 75% of the skeleton

Spongy bone

Loosely organized bone tissue found at the end of long bones; 25% of the skeleton

Diaphyses

The middle of long bones; it provides leverage and contains the marrow cavity

Marrow cavity

The space in the diaphysis of a long bone that contains bone marrow

Epiphyses

Enlarged ends of long bones, strengthening joints and anchoring ligaments and tendons

Articular cartilage

Layer of hyaline cartilage that covers the joint surface to allow movement

Nutrient foramina

The minute holes in the bone surface that allow blood vessels to penetrate

Periosteum

The external sheath covering most of bone made of collagen and bone-forming cells

Endosteum

The thin layer of reticular connective tissue inside the marrow cavity; helps dissolve and create osseous tissue as needed

Epiphysial plate (growth plate)

The area of hyaline cartilage that enables the growth in length in childrens’ bones and creates a scar in adults

Features of long bones

• Epiphyses and diapheses

• Compact and spongy bone

• Marrow cavity

• Articular cartilage

• Perosteum

Features of flat bones

• Sandwich-like construction of two layers of compact bone with a middle layer of spongy bone

• Diploe, or the spongy middle layer that absorbs shock and has marrow spaces lined with endosteum