Human musculoskeletal system 2010

MUSKULOSKELETAL (LOCOMOTORY) SYSTEM

A musculoskeletal system (also known as the locomotory system) is an organ system that gives
humans the ability to move using the muscular and skeletal systems. The musculoskeletal
system provides form, stability, and movement to the body.

SKELETAL SYSTEM

The Skeletal System serves many important functions; it provides the shape and form for our
bodies in addition to supporting, protecting, allowing bodily movement, producing blood for the
body, and storing minerals. An average adult skeleton consists of 206 bones. It is divided into
two parts : the central – axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton. The former of the bones of
the skull, vertebral column and ribcage; the latter comprises the bones of the extremities,
shoulder and pelvic girdles There are five general classifications of bones. These are Long
bones, Short bones, Flat bones, Irregular bones, and Sesamoid bones. The human skeleton is
composed of both fused and individual bones supported by ligaments, tendons, muscles and
cartilage.

JOINTS

Joints are structures that connect individual

bones and may allow bones to move against
each other to cause movement. There are
two divisions of joints, diarthroses which
allow extensive mobility between two or
more articular heads, and false joints or
synarthroses, joints that are immovable, that
allow little or no movement and are
predominantly fibrous.

MUSCULAR SYSTEM

All movement, including the movement of the body itself and the organs within the body,
is carried by muscles composed of tissues that have the unique ability to contract. There are three
types of muscles - cardiac, skeletal, and smooth. Smooth muscles are used to control the flow of
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 Human musculoskeletal system 2010

substances within the lumens of hollow organs, and are not consciously controlled. Skeletal and
cardiac muscles have striations that are visible under a microscope due to the components within
their cells. Only skeletal and smooth muscles are part of the musculoskeletal system and only the
skeletal muscles can move the body.

Muscles can be divided into three main groups according to where they are located:

1. head and neck muscles

2. trunk muscles
3. muscles of the limbs

Skeletal muscle Smooth muscle Cardiac muscle

SKELETAL MUSCLE

Skeletal muscle is a form of

striated muscle tissue
existing under control of the
somatic nervous system. It is
one of three major muscle
types, the others being
cardiac and smooth muscle.
As its name suggests, most
skeletal muscle is attached to
bones by bundles of collagen
fibers known as tendons.

A top-down view of skeletal muscle

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