Skeleton: Structure, Function & Diseases

The skeleton of a human being serves to stabilize the body, gives it support and protects vital organs. With every movement, the body is subjected to heavy loads, which it must cushion. This is provided by 220 bones, which are connected by joints. This is the skeleton from the human being.

What is the skeleton?

The human skeleton consists of three parts: The head skeleton, which consists of the brain skull and the face skull. The torso skeleton with spine and rib cage and the limb skeleton with pelvic girdle and shoulder girdle are further areas of the skeleton of man. The overall structure is supplemented by the arm skeleton with upper arm and lower arm bones as well as hand bones and leg skeleton, consisting of upper and lower leg bones and foot bones. These sections comprise the skeleton of a human being. Biologically, humans are vertebrates and are supported by a support system of bones. This support system is called the human skeleton. Bones do not grow throughout a person’s lifetime. This is due to special length growth zones that calcify at the end of puberty. The spine supports the head and the rib cage, which protects the heart and lungs from injury. The rib cage is protected by 12 pairs of ribs that are movably connected to the spine.

Anatomy and structure

The skeleton from humans has a precise and elaborate structure. The approximately 220 bones that make up the skeleton are divided into flat, short, and long bones. Short bones are the carpal and tarsal bones and vertebrae. Long bones are also called tubular bones. This name is derived from the empty space inside the bone, where the bone marrow is located. Some bones are fused together, such as the skull. This consists of several bones. Babies have more sensitive heads and more bones because the bones of their skulls have not yet grown together. This is usually not the case until the end of the second year of life. The skeleton is the main support of the body. The skeleton of an adult consists of 22 cranial bones, 26 dorsal vertebrae. Three bones make up the sternum, four bones make up the thoracic vertebra. Sixty bones alone make up the arms and hands, 58 bones make up the legs and feet, and two bones make up the hips. Twenty-four bones form the twelve pairs of ribs and one bone supports the neck. This is what the skeleton from the human being consists of in detail.

Function and tasks

The skeleton of man has important tasks, because it gives the body the necessary support and supports it. It also protects vital organs, which are protected from injury by the skeletal framework of the skeleton. In addition, the skeleton provides attachment for muscles and tendons, thus supporting human movement. They stabilize the internal organs and keep them in the position necessary for the functioning of the body. The bones of the skeleton are movably connected to each other by joints such as the ball and socket joint or the hinge joint. Some bones of the skeleton also have what is called a pivot or wheel joint or a saddle joint, as well as a pivot joint. These joints vary in size and shape, depending on the position in which they are located in the human body and what task they have to perform in the skeleton from humans. The skeleton itself makes up about 12 percent of the total body weight. It takes several years for the skeleton to be fully developed by humans. This is the case around the age of 20. Then the skeleton is complete.

Diseases and ailments

However, a person’s skeleton is not always immune to injury. If too much force or stress acts on the bone, it can break. A distinction is made between closed and open fractures. In an open fracture, the bone visibly sprouts through the skin. In addition to bone fractures, certain diseases can pose a threat to the human skeleton. Diseases such as rickets, osteoporosis, scoliosis or even brittle bone disease are bone diseases. Vitamin D deficiency is the main cause of rickets. In this case, the bones of the skeleton are not sufficiently strengthened. Especially in children, this can lead to deformed limbs. Brittle bone disease is a congenital disease that easily leads to bone fractures. It usually occurs only in children and usually leads quickly to death. Osteoporosis is called bone loss and affects especially older people. One cause is the lack of calcium.Scoliosis is the curvature of the spine. Mostly it occurs until puberty or is congenital. The older the affected person, the more severe the symptoms, because the internal organs are very stressed. The skeleton from human is fragile, but durable due to the skeleton of the bones.