Your Knowledge of The Skeletal System

I always loved learning about the skeletal system when I took my anatomy and physiology course way back in 1988! It always astounded me that the human body would mend a broken bone. Usually with a simple fracture all a doctor wil do is put it in plaster to keep it still. 

The there was the time that I saw an orthopaedic surgeon as I suffered from bunions! the proper name Hallux valgus are often hereditary and are recognised by the big toe veering towards the other toes with the joint protruding. https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/muscle-bone-and-joints/conditions/bunion-hallux-valgus

Mine were not painful but getting shoes to fit was a nightmare and the threat of arthritis later in life caused me to have one of the bunions removed. I opted for a local anaesthetic and watched my own operation! a bit gruesome but fascinating as I  could see the muscles and ligaments! plus lots of blood, although they used a tourniquet to stem the flow of blood. 

Some people may say that my bunions resulted from my being very ill as a child and having rickets. This is where bones are soft due to lack of nutrition and particularly a lack of vitamin D. 

Suffice to say I survived all my childhood ills including being the youngest child to have patent ductus arteriosis heart surgery in the world at age 13 months in 1963. 

I first studied anatomy and physiology when I was training to be an exercise instructor and then furthered my knowledge when I trained in massage. I created our anatomy and physiology e-course in 2008 when I owned a large school of massage, and massage students remain our biggest group of students to take our a and p course. 

So here you g, test your skeletal knowledge. 

Which of the following are functions of the skeleton:                          

supports the body

forms muscle cells     

forms blood cells

stores glucose

protects organs          

allows movement     

forms protein                                                             

Describe these Types of fracture

simple

compound (open)

impacted

greenstick

complicated

comminuted                                                           

3) a) Explain why synovial joints are also called “freely moveable”                                        

4) Name and describe 2 diseases or disorders which could affect joints      

5) Describe how long bones grow.                                                                                                              

6) Describe 2 ways in which the skeletal system is interrelated with either the muscular system or the circulatory system.     

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