![]() Even a change in diet, such as eating only soft food due to the loss of teeth, will result in a noticeable decrease in the size and thickness of the jaw bones. This may happen during a prolonged hospital stay, following limb immobilization in a cast, or going into the weightlessness of outer space. In contrast, a reduction in muscle strength or body weight will cause bones to become thinner. Similarly, the walls of weight-bearing bones will thicken if you gain body weight or begin pounding the pavement as part of a new running regimen. Thus, muscle attachment sites on bones will thicken if you begin a workout program that increases muscle strength. For this reason, the identification of bony landmarks is important during your study of the skeletal system.īones are also dynamic organs that can modify their strength and thickness in response to changes in muscle strength or body weight. This means that not only the size of a bone, but also its shape, is related to its function. To resist these forces, bones have enlarged bony landmarks at sites where powerful muscles attach. Muscles can apply very strong pulling forces to the bones of the skeleton. Similarly, the size of a bony landmark that serves as a muscle attachment site on an individual bone is related to the strength of this muscle. For example, the bones of the lower back and lower limb are thick and strong to support your body weight. Thus, without a skeleton, you would not be able to stand, run, or even feed yourself!Įach bone of the body serves a particular function, and therefore bones vary in size, shape, and strength based on these functions. As muscles contract, they pull on the bones to produce movements of the body. Providing movement of the skeleton are the muscles of the body, which are firmly attached to the skeleton via connective tissue structures called tendons. Ligaments are the strong connective tissue bands that hold the bones at a moveable joint together and serve to prevent excessive movements of the joint that would result in injury. At joints of the body, cartilage can also unite adjacent bones or provide cushioning between them. Cartilage provides flexible strength and support for body structures such as the thoracic cage, the external ear, and the trachea and larynx. Bones support the weight of the body, allow for body movements, and protect internal organs. It consists of the bones, cartilages, and ligaments. The skeletal system forms the rigid internal framework of the body. Discuss the embryonic development of the axial skeleton.Describe the components of the thoracic cage.Discuss the vertebral column and regional variations in its bony components and curvatures.Identify the bones and bony structures of the skull, the cranial suture lines, the cranial fossae, and the openings in the skull. ![]() Describe the functions of the skeletal system and define its two major subdivisions.Figure 7.1 Lateral View of the Human SkullÂĪfter studying this chapter, you will be able to:Â
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