The Functions of the Skeletal System

The Functions of the Skeletal System

Bone, Support, Movement, and Protection, Mineral Storage, Energy Storage and Hematopoiesis

____, or osseous tissue, is a hard, dense connective tissue that forms most of the adult skeleton, the support structure of the 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.

Bone

The _______ is the body system composed of bones and cartilage and performs the following critical functions for the human body:

1. supports the body

2. facilitates movement

3. protects internal organs

4. produces blood cells

5. stores and releases minerals and fat

skeletal system

______: provides structural support for the entire body.  Individual bones or groups of bones provide a framework for the attachment of soft tissues and or organs.

Support

_______: Bones also facilitate movement by serving as points of attachment for your muscles. Many bones of the skeleton function as levers that can change the magnitude and direction of the forces generated by skeletal muscles. Bones act as levers and joints serve as fulcrums. The movements produced range from the delicate motions of a fingertip to powerful changes in the position of the entire body.

Leverage and Movement

______: delicate tissues and organs are often surrounded by skeletal elements.  The ribs protect the heart and lungs, the skull encloses the brain, the vertebrae shield the spinal cord, and the pelvis cradles delicate urinary and reproductive organs.

Protection

________: the bone matrix acts as a reservoir for a number of minerals important to the functioning of the body, especially calcium, and phosphorus. These minerals, incorporated into bone tissue, can be released back into the bloodstream to maintain levels needed to support physiological processes.

Storage of minerals and fat

_____ is the most abundant mineral in the human body. It is essential for muscle contractions and controlling the flow of other ions involved in the transmission of nerve impulses. A typical human body contains 1-2 kg of calcium, with more than 98 % of it deposited in the bones of the skeleton.

Calcium

_____ contains adipose tissue; the triglycerides stored in the adipocytes of the tissue can serve as a source of energy.

Yellow marrow

Blood cell production, also known as _____; red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are produced in the _______, which fills the internal cavities of many bones.

hematopoiesis; red bone marrow

_____ is where hematopoiesis—the production of blood cells—takes place.

Red marrow