Skeletal System Flashcards
(32 cards)
What does the skeletal system include?
All of the bones, cartilages, and ligaments of the body that support and give shape to the body and body structures.
How many bones are in the adult human skeleton?
206 bones.
What are the two major divisions of the skeleton?
- Axial skeleton
- Appendicular skeleton
What does the axial skeleton include?
All bones of the head, neck, chest, and back.
What is the primary function of the axial skeleton?
To protect the brain, spinal cord, heart, and lungs.
How many bones are in the adult axial skeleton?
80 bones.
What bones are included in the axial skeleton?
- Skull
- Vertebral column
- Thoracic cage
How many bones form the skull?
22 bones.
What is the only moveable bone of the skull?
The mandible.
What is a suture?
An immobile joint between adjacent bones of the skull.
What bones form the brain case?
- Paired parietal bones
- Paired temporal bones
- Unpaired frontal bone
- Unpaired occipital bone
- Unpaired sphenoid bone
- Unpaired ethmoid bone
How is the vertebral column formed?
By vertebrae, each separated and united by an intervertebral disc.
What is the function of the vertebral column?
Supports the head, neck, and body and allows for their movements.
How many vertebrae are in the adult vertebral column?
24 vertebrae, plus the sacrum and coccyx.
What are the three regions of vertebrae?
- Cervical (C1–C7)
- Thoracic (T1–T12)
- Lumbar (L1–L5)
What are the primary curvatures of the vertebral column?
- Thoracic curvature
- Sacrococcygeal curvature
What are the secondary curvatures of the vertebral column?
- Cervical curvature
- Lumbar curvature
What is kyphosis?
An excessive posterior curvature of the thoracic region.
What is lordosis?
An excessive anterior curvature of the lumbar region.
What is scoliosis?
An abnormal, lateral curvature, accompanied by twisting of the vertebral column.
What characterizes cervical vertebrae?
Small body, bifid spinous process, transverse processes with transverse foramen.
What is unique about the atlas (C1 vertebra)?
It does not have a body or spinous process.
What does the axis (C2 vertebra) have that is notable?
An upward projecting dens.
What distinguishes a typical thoracic vertebra?
A long spinous process that projects downward.
