Microstructure of Bone Tissue 6

Factors which Influence Bone Health 9

The skeletal system is made up of mostly bone but also tendons, ligaments and cartilage, which are arranged into a solid, rigid, structure that supports and protects our body (see diagram 1).

Bones develop during a lifetime, causing growth and change in appeara

Almost every bone in the body joins to another bone forming a joint. Joints hold bones together making them secure but also allowing for movement. There are three types of joint in the body - fibrous, cartilaginous and synovial. Fibrous joints provide no movement as the bones are tightly bound together with fibrous connective tissue e.g. the joints between the bones of the skull. Cartilaginous joints provide a slight movement where the bones are connected at the joint by fibro-cartilage e.g. the pubis, joints within the vertebral column. Synovial joints (see diagram 3) allow for free movement as a fibrous capsule, which encloses the joint, holds the bones together. This capsule is lined with synovial membrane, which secretes synovial fluid into the space between the two bones called the joint cavity. The synovial fluid acts as a lubricant to the ends of the bones, providing an easy gliding plane for movement. The ends of the bones are also coated in hyaline cartilage, which provides " a smooth surface to reduce friction" (Silverstein, 1994). Some synovial joints are also coated with connect tissue on the outside of the capsule called extra capsular ligament, which reinforces the capsule in certain places, adding extra stability to the joint.

The skeletal system plays an important role of shaping our bodies and helps to maintain balance within all of our body's' systems. It allows our bodies to grow and without it we would not be able to move. Our skeleton continues to change and repair throughout our lives and needs to be looked after to stay healthy and stable.

Cancellous bone is lighter and less dense than compact bone, and spongy like in appearance. Cancellous bone consists of an open meshwork in which the lamellae are arranged irregularly called trabercullae. Cavities between this meshwork contain red bone marrow. The canaliculi connect to the cavities next to them rather than the central Haversian canal like in compact bone. "It may appear that the trabeculae are arranged in a haphazard manner, but they are organized to provide maximum strength similar to braces that are used to support a building" (Van De Graaff, 1998).

Although our bones are strong and rigid they can develop disorders, which affect their health and stability. Bones can develop infection, fractures and diseases. Osteomyelitis is a type of bone infection where the bone and marrow tissue becomes infected by bacteria. This is difficult to treat as the healing process of bone is slow and bone is very dense.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Marieb Benjamin, Thibodeau Patton, Bone Health, Structure Bone, Endrochondral Intramembranous, , Process Ossification, skeletal system, compact bone, Skeletal Structure, hyaline cartilage, bone tissue, shaft bone, synovial joints, bone matrix, types bone, bone cells, spongy bone, factors influence bone, influence bone health, Page Introduction, De Graaff, planes movement flexion/extension, main types bone, provides energy body,
Approximate Word count = 2449
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)