Musculoskeletal System Overview
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There are three types of muscle tissue found in humans are skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscles. Skeletal muscle generally causes the movement of elements of the skeleton. Skeletal muscles are voluntary muscles" because they can be controlled consciously. Similar to skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle is striated. Smooth muscle is not under voluntary control, and it does not have striations. Smooth muscle tissue is found throughout the body, including the digestive tract, uterus, urinary bladder, blood vessels, and respiratory passages. When pertaining to prosthetics of the upper and lower extremities the functions of the muscular system include body movement, maintenance of posture, protection and support, storage and movement of materials, and heat production. Many skeletal muscles have the function of moving elements of the skeleton, such as the bones in the arms and legs. However, some skeletal muscles act on soft tissue structures; for example, the orbicularis oris purses the lips, the diaphragm inflates the lungs, and the Epicranius raises the eyebrows. Maintenance of posture refers to the skeletal muscles that can be contracted consciously to hold you up, or your nervous system's ability to unconsciously contract your muscles to maintain posture and body position. Protection and support refer to the layers of skeletal muscle that form the walls and floor of the abdominopelvic cavity, protecting and supporting visceral organs in this cavity.
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The main functions of the skeletal system include support and protection, movement, hemopoiesis, and storage of mineral and energy reserves. The skeletal system provides structural support for the entire body. Skeletal elements protect various vital organs, such as the brain and the heart. Bones function as levers for the muscles to provide movement of the body. They work in conjunction with the other systems in the body in order to provide the human body with movement. Hemopoiesis is the process in which elements of the blood are produced in the red marrow of the bones. Bones also provide an important reserve supply of calcium and phosphate and they store lipids. Lipids serve as an energy reserve within the human body and are located in yellow marrow. There are 206 named bones in the human skeleton, and they can be divided into two major regions of the skeleton: the axial skeleton consists of the skull, vertebral column, and rib cage; the appendicular skeleton consists of the arms, pectoral girdles, legs, and pelvic girdle. The classifications of bone in reference to their shape are long, short, irregular, and flat. Long bones are long and relatively slender. Examples of this include the femur, humerus, and phalanges. These bones mainly assist in movement and structural support. The bones of the arms and legs are long bones and this means when referring to prosthetics the main bones that can be used as a reference are long bones. Short bones are small in size and cuboidal in shape. Examples of these bones include the carpals and tarsals. Flat bones are thin and flat in shape. These include the scapula, ribs, and sternum. These bones either serve for protection or provide a broad, wide surface for muscle attachment. Irregular bones have an anamorphic shape and they do not fit the other categories due to their irregular shape. Examples of irregular bones include the vertebrae and sphenoid bone.
