Medical Terminology - Musculoskeletal System Practice Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards generated from lecture notes covering the musculoskeletal system, skeletal divisions, word roots, bone types, and bone formation.

Musculoskeletal System

The body system constituted by bones, joints, and muscles, divided into the skeletal system and the muscular system.

Hemopoiesis

The process of producing most blood cells through bone marrow.

Axial Skeleton

The division of the skeleton that forms the longitudinal (lengthwise) axis of the body, including the skull, vertebral column, and thorax.

Vertebral Column Divisions

The five divisions of the backbone: Cervical (neck), Thoracic (chest), Lumbar (lower back), Sacral (buttocks or pelvis), and Coccyx (tip).

Thorax

The chest portion of the axial skeleton consisting of the ribs, sternum, and thoracic vertebrae.

Vertebr/o

Word root meaning vertebra.

Cervic/o

Word root meaning neck.

Thorac/o

Word root meaning chest.

Lumb/o

Word root meaning loin.

Stern/o

Word root meaning breastbone or sternum.

Pelv/i

Word root meaning pelvic bone.

Appendicular Skeleton

The division of the skeletal system including the bones of both the upper extremities (shoulders, arms, wrists, hands) and lower extremities (hips, legs, ankles, feet).

Shoulder Girdle

Structure composed of two clavicles and two scapulae attaching the bones of the upper extremities to the axial skeleton.

Pelvic Girdle

Structure of the lower extremities including the two pelvic bones.

Diaphysis

The central shaft of a long bone containing dense compact bone and a cavity housing bone marrow.

Epiphyses

The prominent, knoblike ends of a long bone containing mostly spongy bone.

Periosteum

A covering on long bones (except at articulation points) consisting of an outer fibrous layer and an inner osteogenic layer containing osteoblasts.

Articular Cartilage

Cartilage that covers the point of articulation on long bones.

Oste/o

Word root meaning bone.

-blast

Suffix meaning germ cell.

-genic

Adjective suffix meaning producing or forming.

Short Bones

Bones with smaller, less prominent ends (such as carpals and tarsals) consisting of a spongy bone center surrounded by a thin layer of compact bone.

Carp/o

Word root for carpals meaning carpus or wrist.

Tars/o

Word root for tarsals meaning tarsus or ankle.

Flat Bones

Thin and flat bones (such as frontal/parietal skull bones, ribs, and scapula) consisting of a spongy bone center sandwiched between two outer layers of compact bone.

Crani/o

Word root meaning skull bones or cranium.

Irregular Bones

Bones with varied, often block-like shapes (such as vertebrae) featuring a center of spongy bone surrounded by a thick layer of compact bone.

Ossification

A two-phase process of bone formation that transforms embryonic hyaline cartilage into bone.

Ossification Phase One

The first phase of bone development where osteoblasts produce an organic bone matrix made of collagen protein.

Ossification Phase Two

The second phase of bone development where inorganic compounds, such as calcium salts, calcify the organic bone matrix.

Osteoblasts

Bone-forming cells from the periosteum that produce organic bone matrix on the exterior surface of bone.

Osteoclasts

Cells that destroy and resorb bone in the interior cavity to enlarge it.

-clast

Suffix meaning to break.

Osteoporosis

A degenerative disease affected by calcium, exercise, and bone strength, preventable by bone stress stimulating collagen and mineral salt production.