Learning the Skeletal System

Chapter 6:  Cartilage and Bone Connective Tissue
Chapter 7: Axial Skeleton
Chapter 8:  Appendicular Skeleton
Chapter 9:  Articulations

 The skeletal system is the building block framework of the entire human body. Understanding the skeletal system will require you to master the names of many of the 206 bones and their processes, condyles, sutures, foramens, articular cartilage to mention just the major components.  Note that they are organized in two major grouping:  Axial and Appendicular.  Although mastering the skeletal system in 2 weeks appears to be overwhelming, there are many tools which will aide your successful learning.  NOTE:  There are 4 chapters for this material on the skeletal system. REMEMBER!  When you come to the tools, you will only see the link to your online learning center.  Select each chapter individually and proceed to do the materials you have done in the past for each topic.  There is no substitute for learning the bones by "Touching" them.  You will have human skeletons in lab --both articulated and disarticulated when you take your lab practical exam. Spend as much time as you possibly can touching and comparing real skeletal bones to your text and lab book. If you do not have access to a human skeleton or do not have enough time with it to learn all the bones, be certain to spend even more time on your Anatomy and Physiology revealed CD learning from the interactive images.  Below you will find the listing of the specific skeletal system components for which you are responsible. HAVE FUN!

At the end of this Text chapter, the successful student will be able to

LECTURE:

Recognize the  types of Cartilage by structure and function:  P. 146 (Also see Chapter 4 p. 106-107

Understand Hemopoiesis:  Process of blood cell production  P. 149

• recognize the macroscopic structure of bone   P. 150   ***Click on the images below to enlarge them

• 

• recognize the microscopic structure of bone  P. 154-155

• 

• recognize by structural function the cells in bone P. 152

  • osteocytes

  • osteoblasts

  • osteoclasts

  • 

• Recognize the different shapes of bones and where they are found   fig 6.3 P. 149

• 

• Identify the structural characteristics of a long bone  P. 152-153

• Understand the (2) major forms of ossification   P.156-159

  • Intramembranous (flat bones)

    • List the bones that form by this process

  • Endochondrial  (long bones)

    • List the bones that form by this process:  See study tip P. 161

    • Discuss Appositional Growth

    • 

  • 

  • 

• Recognize bone marking term  P.167-168: see fig 6.17

AXIAL SKELETON:   P. 172-217

Before beginning your study of the skull, you WILL find it beneficial to APR 2.0

1. SKULL:  P. 175-202:  Know the bones as they appear on these pages.

2. Select Skull Annimation  APR

3. 

4. 

5. In addition, note the 3 tiny bones within the temporal bone: Malleus, incus, stapes (see text p.595)

The SKULL FORAMINA are numerous.  You need to know only the following: P. 175: Table 7.1 and 7.2

•  mental foramen         

• mandibular foramen     Text P. 181

• foramen magnum      

• supraorbital foramen  

The SKULL BONES:  know each and landmarks on each: Here are 4 examples: SEE LAB MANUAL FOR SPECIFIC BONES

BONE	SPECIFIC STRUCTURES TO IDENTIFY
Sphenoid Bone	sella turcica, sphenoidal sinus lab P.188-189
Ethmoid Bone	Crista Galli, Cribiform plate, Ethmoid sinus P.190-191
Temporal Bone	External Auditory canal, Zygomatic Process, mastoid process, styloid process P. 186
Bones containing a sinus	Frontal.ethmoid, sphenoid, maxillary P.174

• 

• SUTURES:  Identify by location and bones they divide

  • Coronal

  • Sagittal

  • Squamosal

  • Lambdoidal

  • 

• Fetal Skull P. 201

  • Anterior Fontanel --Posterior(occipital) fontanel--sphenoidal--masoid fontanel *(NOTE:  The Anterior and Posterior fontanel are the 2 you should locate in the lab)

  • 

• Go back to your APR CD

  • Click on Dissection in the list on the left

  • Click arrow in the "select" region below the screen's right image selecting "Head and Neck"

  • Select View image arrow and choose anterior

  • Select GO

  • Left screen, select structure type "skeleton"

  • Select the number 6 in the row named tags below the red sliders

  • Challenge yourself by naming the bone/structure at each blue tag.  When you click on the blue tag, the correct name will appear.  Go now to the Pronounce and you will hear the correct pronunciation of the term.  Notice also that the description of the term you have selected will appear .    Now GO FOR IT!

2. VERTEBRA: P. 203-212             Go to your APR CD, select Region, select Thorax, select Anterior, strip down to bones and click tags

• CERVICAL (although there are 7 you will only need to know for this course:) P. 207-208

  • ATLAS C-1 (specifically by name & structures)Fig 7.30 P. 208

  • AXIS C-2 (specifically by name and structures...EX.. dens/ odontoid) lab p75 and Fig. 7.30 P. 208

  • From C-3 thru C-7 you need to know:

    • Transverse foramina (all cervicals)

    • Bifid spinous processes(Most cervicals)

• THORACIC (12) P. 206

  • Rib facets

  • positions of spinous process

• LUMBAR (5)  Text P. 207

  • Size alone

• SACRUM (5 fused) Text P. 209 and Fig. 7.31

• COCCYX (3-4 fused) Text P. 209

3.   RIBS:  Observe attachment from vertebra to sternum   P. 211

• True Ribs (first 7)

• False ribs (last 5)

• Floating ribs (11-12 only)     See Fig  7.32         

4. STERNUM:( by location)   lab p. 80-81 see text Fig 7.32 P. 211

        Go to your APR CD, select dissection, select Region, select Thorax, anterior, strip down to the sternum, click tags

• Manubrium

• Body

• Xiphoid

APPENDICULAR SKELETON:  P. 219-249 Chapter 8

  NOTE:  Launch your APR CD, select animation, click on the bones of the appendicular and select tags

• Pectoral Girdle: P. 221-222

  

  • Clavical (sternal end & acromial end)

  • Scapula ( acromion process, coracoid process, glenoid cavity, spine of scapula)

• Upper Limb P.224-225

  

  • Humerus:  (Head, greater & lesser tubercle, olecranon fossa), lateral and medial epicondyle, trochlea)

• Lower arm (Forearm) P. 226-227

  • Ulna: (olecranon , styloid process)

  • Radius: ( radial head, styloid process)

• Hand (identify only the following)  P.229

  

  • carpals (know the 8 individual bones of the wrist))

  • metacarpals: Palm of the Hand (group name only)

  • Phalanges: Bones of the digits (group name only)

• Pelvic Girdle":  P. 230-235

  

  • Coxal Bones (2):  Each Os Coxae

    • ilium

    • ischium

    • pubis

    • additional structures of the Coxal Bone for which you are responsible:  

      • obturator foramen

      • acetabulum

      • ischial tuberosity

      • Iliac Crest

      • sacraliliac joint

• Upper leg P. 236-237

  

  • Femur: ( Head, Neck, Greater Trochanter, Lesser Trochanter, medial and lateral condyles

• Patella (knee cap)P. 2238

• 

• Lower leg:   240-241

  

  • Tibia: anterior crest, medial malleolus, articular inferior surface (for talus)

  • Fibula (lateral maleolus)

• Foot : (Identify the following) P. 242-243

  

  •     Tarsals (talus and calcaneus specifically)

  •     Metatarsals: sole of foot:  (group name only)

  •     phalanges: bones of the toes (Group name only)

  Be able to indicate RIGHT vs LEFT on the following bones

  • Scapula

  • humerus

  • coxal bone

  • femur

  • Tibia

Classification of Articulations  Chapter 9: P. 254-281 : Chapter9

• Identify the following by location and function  P. 254

  • Synarthrotic      (immovable)

  • Amphiarthrotic (slightly movable)

  • Diarthrotic        (freely movable)

  • Know the movements of Synovial(freely movable joints) Table 9.2 p. 261

  • APR:  Select Synovial animation

• Identify by naming the structures of the following joints

  • Shoulder  p. 272-273

  • hip           p.278-279

  • Knee       p. 280-281

LAB: (see the list of bones above)

• Bone Boxes (Human Bone):  One box per table

  Articulated Skeletons: (5):

  Painted Skulls: (one per table)

  APR CD 2.0

  

• There is a much to do here in skeletal using APR.  Pay particular attention to the Dissection (scalpel) as well as the Animation (filmclip icon). Nearly all these bones can be located, highlighted, pronounced and correctly observed.  Also, Don't forget the "Imaging key". You will be able to view some great x-rays and put labels on important structures.

  • Axial Structures 

    

    • skull 

    • Fetal skull (4 fontanels) 

    • vertebra           pages

    • 

    • sternum            pages

    • ribs                  pages:

    • 

  • Appendicular Structures             

    • Scapula and clavicle     

    • arm bones (3)                  

    • hand ( 3 divisions)   

    •            

    • pelvis /coxal bones (2)        

      • NOTE*  See the comparison of the Male and Female Pelvis: (display counter)

      • 

    • Femur and Patella:        

    • Tibia and Fibula:         

    • Foot bones                   

    • 

  Joint Models (see side counter display)  Also see APR

  • Joints 

    • Be able to Name the following joints, bones that make them and listed features.

    • Hip joint

    • Knee joint

    • shoulder joint

    Be able to indicate RIGHT vs LEFT on the following bones

    • Scapula

    • humerus

    • coxal bone

    • femur

    • Tibia

     

The following sources of information will help you master the  bones and their related structures for which you are responsible.

1. McGraw Hill website:  online Learning Center text material has great potential to help you learn the many components of anatomy and Physiology:

1. Body Smart which has animations to help you learn the basic components of the body's systems
2. Do the multiple choice, matching, and labeling for each chapters 6 - 9.
3. Use your Anatomy and Physiology revealed OFTEN, studying the interactive images, not just watching them.
4. Practice, practice, practice and then practice more.  There is a lot of material in these 4 chapters and you will have to spend at least twice as much time as you think you will need to to actually master all this critical material.

2. Textbook:  Read the objectives.  Use them as a guide when you 

   1. skim read the chapter to get a feel for the content and how the different topics are related

   2. reread the chapter look for the critical points and preparing for lecture

   3. study the chapter to learn the critical content

   4. review the chapter preparing for the quizzes and exams

3. Lecture:    Attend all lectures.  Use them to 

   1. identify important points

   2. ask questions of points not well understood in the text

   3. measure your learning comprehension

4. Lab:     Attend your scheduled lab and take advantage of open times to continue to study  
               Use your labs to correlate text structures to actual specimens in lab

5. You may find the glossary helpful for terminology understanding and to learn how to pronounce the words.  If you have forgotten how to call up the glossary, return to the introduction and reread the directions.  There are so many new terms that if you don't practice pronunciation at the same time you master the meaning, you will eventually find yourself very, very confused.  Adult learners remember via words stored in memory.  Without the sound that goes with the word, you will have difficulty retaining the work and its meaning.

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Last modified: May 10, 2005 by Cynthia Herbrandson © Copyright 1999, Kellogg Community College. All rights reserved.