Skeletal and Muscular System

The bones, joints and muscles work as a team to maintain our upright posture and allow ample movement. The circulatory system and organs, including the brain, are dependent upon movement for their resistance to disease. The adult skeletal system is made up of 206 bones, whereas babies have 350 bones in their body. As babies grow, their small bones fuse together to make larger bones.

The skeletal system is incredibly strong, protecting the inner organs, and acting as a lever and attachment for the muscles. Bone is living tissue in continual renewal. Some bones function in a blood-building capacity, which takes place in the bone marrow of the humeri, femurs, ribs, sternum, vertebrae and pelvis. Bones are made up of mineral deposits which provide stability, and cells which lend flexibility. If calcium and magnesium are not adequately provided for in the diet, these minerals will be taken from the bones. The bones will slowly lose their density and deteriorate as a result.

Joints are protected with a cartilage covering and lubricating fluid, which prevent the bones from grating against each other. Between the vertebrae in the spine, disks act as shock absorbers. The muscles and ligaments surrounding joints provide stability. Joints require regular use to remain flexible, but they should not be overextended. Joint cartilage, ligaments and tendons are not repaired as quickly and easily as other parts of the body since they are not well supplied with blood vessels.

Even the simplest motions involve complex coordinations of muscles, all controlled by the brain via the nerves. Some muscles, like the ones controlling the intestinal tract and blood vessel walls, work involuntarily, so we are not even aware that the muscles are being used. Muscles aid the venous system with the return of blood to the heart, preventing sluggishness. They also provide some body warmth.

Muscles require oxygen for fuel and regular use to remain conditioned. Muscles convert chemical energy into heat and movement. Conditioned skeletal muscles perform better, and prevent arthritic changes in the joints and spine that are common with age.

Your heart beats at an average rate of seventy-two times per minute, one hundred thousand times daily. This represents enough pumped blood to fill a bathtub twenty-two times. By age seventy your heart will have pumped about sixty-five million gallons of blood.

PDF Diagram - Front View of Muscular and Skeletal Systems

PDF Diagram - Back View of Muscular and Skeletal Systems