Skeletal+System+6a

__ The Skeletal System __ **by piratehunny877**

media type="custom" key="6400585" width="190" height="190" The human body is a wondrous thing; it contains many things that help us thrive throughout our lives, such as the skeletal system. The skeletal system, in other words, is all the different bones and joints in your body. Without our skeletal system, we'd be nowhere, literally! Shapeless, motionless blobs, that's what we would be.

The skeletal system is a very important part of our body; it has a many primary functions that we probably wouldn’t be able to live without. It, with the help of joints, enables us to move. It helps us stand straight and gives us shape; without bones we would be shapeless blobs. It provides ”armor” for the organs inside of us, because they are very fragile. It even produces some red and white blood cells inside the bone, from the red bone marrow, and yellow bone marrow serves as an energy reserve for us. The skeletal system is very important, as you can see, and that is why we must take care of it.

The skeletal system has many organs, or parts. Its main organs are the bones, which hold our muscles and organs in place and protect them, the teeth, which began your digestive systems process by chewing up your food, the joints which enable you to move and the bone marrow inside your bones that produces blood cells and store materials. In total, a healthy adult would have two hundred six bones! Two hundred six bones to shape support and enable us to move. The main organs of the skeletal system are the bones, bone marrow, joints and teeth. Here is a list of all the bones in your body; from head to toe:

Head: Skull Lower Jaw

Arms: Humerus Ulna Radius Carpals Metacarpals Phalanges

Torso: Ribs Clavicle Scapula Sternum Vertebral Column Pelvic Girdle

Legs: Femur Patella Tibia Fibula Tarsals Metatarsals Phalanges

But we don’t just have bones; we have joints too! Joints allow the bones to move in different ways. There are four kinds of joints; ball-and-socket joints, hinge joints, pivot joints and gliding joints. Ball-and-socket joints are joints that allow lots of different movements, there's one in your shoulder. Hinge joints allow forward and backward movements, you can find that in your knee. Pivot joints allow one bone to rotate around another, there's one located in your neck. And lastly, a gliding joint allows one bone to slide over another, you can find that in your ankle. But it doesn't end there; bones are even helpful in the inside! Bones have different layers inside them. The first layer is the outer membrane, a tough layer through which nerves and blood vessels go through. The second layer is the compact bone, a strong layer of bone that contains canals where the blood vessels go through. Third layer is spongy bone, a sponge-like layer that has bone marrow. There are two types of bone marrow, red and yellow. Red bone marrow produces red blood cells and some white blood cells. Yellow bone marrow is like an energy reserve; it stores fat and other materials that your body might need later.

Your skeletal system doesn’t work by itself though; it works with other system to keep your body happy and healthy. The skeletal system works with the muscular system, obviously. Skeletal muscles are attached to bones with tendons; strong connective tissue that connects muscles to bones. Muscles provide force so bones can move. The skeletal system also works with your nervous system. Your brain sends down commands down your vertebral column and all over your body so different parts of your body can do things and function. The teeth, part of the skeletal system, help the digestive system, because it chews our food, which starts the digestive process. Your skeletal system even helps the circulatory system a bit too. The red bone marrow in your bones creates red blood cells for your blood and your lungs, which includes helping the respiratory system also. Your body systems all depend on one another in one way or another, and that's why it works so well.

Taking care of your skeletal system isn’t complicated; of course it requires a bit of effort but it is so worth it in the long run. First, you should have a well-balanced diet that consists of meat, whole grains, leafy green vegetables and dairy products. Second, to go along with your bone-building diet, you should excursive. Weight-bearing activities are great; they make your bones strong and dense.

If you don’t take care of your skeletal system you’re bound to run into some problems! One huge, very serious, problem is a disease call Osteoporosis. This disease causes your bones to become very unhealthy and fragile. Unfortunately, it is more common in women than in men. There is also some other stuff you need to watch out for, especially if you’re feeling extra clumsy one day! There's many injuries that can occur in your bones; fractures, dislocations, and sprains.

Fractures: A fracture is when a break in your bone is caused by you putting too much weight on it. There are two types of fractures; simple and compound. A simple fracture is when your bone is broken into two or more pieces, and a compound fracture is when the broken end of the bone sticks out through you skin.

Dislocations: A dislocation is when the end of your bone comes out of its joint. Sometimes it can be put back in place without surgery, but in other cases surgery is needed.

Sprains: A sprain is when your ligaments, the tough band of tissue that holds your bones together, are stretched and tear. This is one of the most common bone injuries.

Lesson learned, keep your skeletal system healthy and be careful when you run around and play outside, because with out your skeletal system you wouldn't be able to do those kinds of things! As you can see, the skeletal system is very important to us, it’s primary functions help us a lot, for example it allows us to move which is a huge part of our lives. Word to the wise, keeping your skeletal system healthy is a good idea. Eating well and exercising will help keep those bones strong and dense. The skeletal system is a big part of you, so make sure you take care of it.

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