Bones and function of the human skeleton, types of joints including synovial joints, joint actions, and planes of movement.
The Human Skeleton
The human skeleton is made up of 206 bones. The functions of the skeleton are to provide support, give our bodies shape, provide protection to other systems and organs of the body, provide attachments for muscles, produce movement, and produce red blood cells.
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Structure of a Synovial joint
Synovial joints are the most common type of joints in the human body. They enable a wide range of movement and all have the same basic structure.
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Anatomy of the Spine
The spine consists of 33 bones or vertebrae, 24 of which are separate bones allowing movement and 9 which are fused together. The 5 sections of the spine or vertebral column are the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacrum which includes the coccyx.
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Planes of Movement
There are three planes of motion in which we move. If you think about it, most of our movements are not straight up and down or side to side, etc, especially in sports. They tend to combine a mixture of movements in different planes.
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The Axial & Appendicular Skeleton
The Human Skeleton can be divided up into two parts, the axial skeleton which is the central core of the body, and the appendicular skeleton which forms the extremities of the arms and legs.
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Bones Of The Skull
The human skull contains 22 bones. 8 bones make up the cranium and the other 14 form the lower front of the skull. These are known as the facial bones. The Frontal bone is one of the major cranial bones.
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Shapes Of Bones
There are 5 types of bones in the human body. These are long bones, short bones, flat bones, irregular bones, and sesamoid bones. Here we outline the different types of bones in the human body and explain where they are found.
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Types Of Joints
A joint is a point where two or more bones meet. There are three main types of joints; Fibrous (immovable), Cartilaginous (partially moveable), and Synovial (freely moveable) joints. Fibrous Joints Fibrous (synarthrodial). This type of joint is held together by only a ligament.
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Structure Of Bones
It is important for bones to be strong to support our body weight and in some cases provide protection such as the skull and ribs. However, they must also be light enough to make movement possible.
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