Skeletal System Information
The human skeletal system includes bones, cartilage and joints. The skeletal system serves several important functions, such as making movement possible and protecting vital organs.
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Structure
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The most important and obvious job of the skeletal system is to provide a frame for the rest of the human body. All other bodily systems are built on the skeleton, including muscles, veins and nerve endings. The skeleton makes it possible for humans to stand, and it makes movement possible.
Protection
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The skeletal system also protects vital areas of the human anatomy. The skull, for instance, protects the brain. The rib cage also protects many of a person's vital organs, such as the heart and lungs, from damage.
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Skeletal Changes
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When a person is born, the body has more than 300 bones. As you grow older and into adulthood, many of these bones (such as the separate plates of the skull that leave a soft spot in a baby's head) fuse so that an adult has only 206 bones.
Marrow
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Human bones are hollow. Inside the bones is an opening for bone marrow. Bone marrow is where new blood cells, both red and white, are made for the rest of the body. The new blood cells are released from the bones and into the body, and the body continually feeds the bone marrow so it produces more blood cells.
Movement
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Movement of the body is as a result of the interaction between bones and the muscles attached to them. Called skeletal muscles, these muscles are attached to the bones. When they flex, skeletal muscles pull against the frame and cause movement. Skeletal muscles are also the muscles that people consciously move, such as those in the hand, arm and leg.
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