THE AXIAL SKELETON

 

CONTAINS THE BONES FORMING THE AXIS

( The axis is the central line around which the parts of a thing, system are evenly arranged )

 

80 BONES

•          SKULL -  8 CRANIAL BONES AND 14 FACIAL BONES. ALSO 7 ASSOCIATED BONES ( 6 auditory ossicles and Hyoid bone )

•          BONES OF THE THORAX – STERNUM AND 24 RIBS

•          VERTEBRAL COLUMN – 24 VERTEBRAE, SACRUM AND COCCYX

 

FUNCTIONS

•          FRAMEWORK THAT SUPPORTS AND PROTECTS ORGANS IN THE DORSAL AND VENTRAL CAVITIES.

•          SURFACE FOR THE ATTACHMENT OF MUSCLES

 

THE JOINTS IN THE AXIAL SKELETON ARE VERY STRONG AND PERMIT LIMITED MOVEMENT

 

THE SKULL ( CRANIUM )

THE BONES OF SKULL PROTECT AND ENCLOSE THE BRAIN ( CRANIAL BONES )

AND FORM OUR FACIAL STRUCTURE ( FACIAL BONES )

 

BONES OF THE CRANIUM ARE ATTACHED TO EACH OTHER VIA SUTURES ( IMMOVABLE JOINTS )

( Except for the mandible-cranium joint )

 

FRONTAL BONE ( 1 )

•          EXTENDS FROM THE FOREHEAD TO THE CORONAL SUTURE.

•          ARTICULATE WITH A PAIR OF PARIETAL BONES.

 

PARIETAL BONES ( 2 )

•          FORM THE SUPERIOR PORTION OF THE SIDES OF OUR HEADS.

•          ARE JOINED SUPERIORLY BY THE SAGITTAL SUTURE

 

TEMPORAL BONES ( 2 )

•          FORM THE INFERIOR PORTION OF THE SIDES OF OUR HEADS.

•          VERY IRREGULAR IN SHAPE

•          HAS 4 IMPORTANT STRUCTURES ( Zygomatic process, External auditory meatus, Stiloid process and Mastoid process ).

•          ARTICULATES WITH PARIETAL BONE AT THE SQUAMOSAL SUTURE

 

OCCIPITAL BONE ( 1 )

•          FORMS THE POSTERIOR PORTION OF THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD.

•          MEETS THE PARIETALS AT THE LAMBDOIDAL SUTURE

•          TWO IMPORTANT STRUCTURES ARE THE FORAMEN MAGNUM AND THE OCCIPITAL CONDYLES.

 

SPHENOID BONE ( 1 )

•          UNDERNEATH  THE FRONTAL BONE

•          HAS THE SELLA TURCICA

 

ETHMOID BONE ( 1 )

•          SMALL, RECTANGULAR BONE DEEP IN THE EYE ORBIT, BEHIND THE BRIDGE OF THE NOSE.

 

THE FACIAL BONES

•          SUPERFICIAL FACIAL BONES – Provides areas for the attachment of muscles that control facial expressions ( including chewing )

•          DEEPER FACIAL BONES – Separates oral and nasal cavities. Help to form the Nasal septum

 

CONSISTS OF THIRTEEN BONES FUSED TOGETHER, AND A MOVABLE MANDIBLE.

 

ONLY ONE BONE, THE VOMER, IS NOT PAIRED

 

THE NASAL BONES ARE SMALL BONES THAT FORM THE BRIDGE OF THE NOSE, LATERAL TO THE NASALS ARE THE MAXILLARY BONES.

 

BELOW THE EYE ORBITS ARE THE ZYGOMATIC BONES (cheek bones).

 

AT THE BRIDGE OF THE NOSE, LATERAL TO EACH MAXILLA ARE THE SMALL LACRIMAL BONES

 

THE INFERIOR NASAL CONCHAE ARE THE LOWER SHELVES OF BONE IN THE NASAL CAVITY. THE OTHER CONCHAE IN THE NASAL CAVITY ARE PART OF THE MAXILLA

 

THE LOWER JAW BONE IS THE MANDIBLE

 

IF WE TURN THE SKULL OVER TO VIEW THE INFERIOR SURFACE WE CAN LOCATE THE PALATINE BONES OF THE POSTERIOR ROOF OF THE MOUTH NEXT TO THE LAST MOLAR TOOTH

 

THE NASAL CAVITY IS DIVIDED BY A THIN WALL OF BONE, THE VOMER

 

SINUSES OF THE SKULL

SKULL CONTAINS FOUR CAVITIES CALLED PARANASAL SINUSES WHICH INTERCONNECT WITH THE NASAL CAVITY AND

REDUCE THE WEIGHT OF THE SKULL

 

THE SINUES ARE NAMED AFTER THE BONES IN WHICH ARE SITUATED

 

FRONTAL SINUS

SPHENOID SINUS

ETHMOID SINUS

MAXILLARY SINUS

 

HYOID BONE

AN UNUSUAL BONE BECAUSE IT DOES NOT ARTICULATE WITH ANY OTHER BONES.

 

IT IS LOCATED IN THE NECK, ABOVE LARYNX

 

SERVES AS THE BASE OF TONGUE, AND AS AN ATTACHMENT FOR NECK MUSCLES

 

SUTURES

•          CORONAL SUTURE

•          LAMBOIDAL SUTURE

•          SAGGITAL SUTURE

•          SQUAMOUS SUTURE

 

CORONAL SUTURE

WHERE THE FRONTAL BONE MEETS THE PARIETAL BONES ANTERIORLY

LAMBOIDAL SUTURE

WHERE THE OCCIPITAL BONE MEETS THE PARIETAL BONES POSTERIORLY

SAGGITAL SUTURE

SAME AS THE SAGGITAL SECTION    ( DIVIDES THE BODY INTO RIGHT AND LEFT PORTIONS )

IS WHERE THE PARIETAL BONES MEET AT THE TOP OF THE SKULL.

EXTENDS FROM LAMBOIDAL TO CORONAL SUTURES

SQUAMOUS SUTURE

WHERE THE TEMPORAL BONES MEET THE PARIETAL BONES ON THE SIDE OF THE HEAD

 

FETAL SKULL

•          HAS MANY BONES THAT ARE UNFUSED AND INCOMPLETELY OSSIFIED

•          THE UNOSSIFIED MEMBRANOUS AREAS ARE CALLED FONTANELS

•          FONTANELS OSSIFY BY THE TIME THE BABY IS 2 YEARS OLD

 

VERTEBRAL COLUMN

•          CONSISTS 0F 33 BONES INTRICATELY LINKED TOGETHER TO ALLOW FOR MAXIMUM STRENGHT, FLEXIBILITY, AND PROTECTION.

•          VERTEBRAE ARE CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER VIA LIGAMENTS.

•          IT ARTICULATES WITH THE SKULL SUPERIORLY, THE PELVIC GIRDLE INFERIORLY, AND THE RIBS LATERALLY

•          BETWEEN EACH VERTEBRA IS AN INTERVERTEBRAL DISC

 

VERTEBRAE ARE GROUPED INTO..

•          7 CERVICAL VERTEBRAE

•          12 THORACIC VERTEBRAE

•          5 LUMBAR VERTEBRAE

•          SACRUM ( 5 fused vertebrae )

•          COCCYX ( 3-5 fused vertebrae )

 

VERTEBRAL COLUMN IS NOT STRAIGHT AND RIGID..

IN A LATERAL VIEW WE CAN SEE FOUR SPINAL CURVES:

CERVICAL

THORACIC

LUMBAR

SACRAL

 

ABNORMAL DISTORTIONS OF SPINAL CURVATURES

•          KYPHOSIS - exaggerated thoracic curvature

•          LORDOSIS – exaggerated lumbar curvature

•          SCOLIOSIS – abnormal lateral curvature

 

VERTEBRAL ANATOMY

•          VERTEBRAL BODY – THICK, DISC-SHAPED ANTERIOR PORTION.

•          SPINOUS PROCESS – LONG, SINGLE EXTENSION OF POSTERIOR VERTEBRAL WALL

•          TRANSVERSE PROCESS – A PAIR OF EXTENSIONS LATERAL TO SPINOUS

•          VERTEBRAL FORAMEN – LARGE HOLE, POSTERIOR TO THE BODY

•          PEDICLE – STRUT OF BONE EXTENDING POSTERIORLY FROM BODY TO A TRANSVERSE PROCESS

•          LAMINA – FLAT PLATE OF BONE BETWEEN TRANSVERSE AND SPINOUS PROCESS

•          ARTICULAR PROCESSES – INFERIOR AND SUPERIOR, ARTICULATE WITH THE ARTICULAR FACETS

•          ARTICULAR FACET – INFERIOR AND SUPERIOR, ARTICULATE WITH THE ARTICULAR PROCESSES.

 

CERVICAL VERTEBRAE

•          SMALLER, LIGHTER AND MORE DELICATE THAN VERTEBRAE IN LOWER REGIONS

•          THE TOP TWO ARE SPECIALIZED TO ALLOW HEAD MOVEMENT.

•          THEY HAVE TRANSVERSE FORAMEN

•          THE ATLAS ( C 1 ) ARTICULATES WITH OCCIPITAL CONDYLES OF THE SKULL.

•          THE AXIS ( C 2 ) HAS A PROJECTION WHICH EXTENDS UP AND THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE AXIS. IS A “PIVOT POINT”  AROUND WHICH HEAD ROTATES.

•          WE DON΄T HAVE INTERVERTEBRAL DISC BETWEEN C1 AND C2.

 

THORACIC VERTEBRAE

•          LARGER THAN CERVICAL VERTEBRAE

•          ARTICULATE WITH THE RIBS

 

LUMBAR VERTEBRAE

•          ARE LARGER THAN THE OTHER BECAUSE THEY CARRY A LARGER QUANTITY OF WEIGHT THAN THE OTHER VERTEBRAE.

•          VERTEBRAL FORAMEN IS SMALLER THAN THORACIC VERTEBRAE.

 

SACRUM

•          5 FUSED VERTEBRAE WHICH STREGTHEN AND STABILIZED THE PELVIS

•          PROTECTS REPRODUCTIVE, DIGESTIVE AND URINARY ORGANS.

•          ARTICULATES  WITH THE ILIUM

 

COCCYX

•          OUR VESTIGUAL TAILBONE

•          3-5 FUSED VERTEBRAE

•          ESSENTIALLY USELESS IN THE HUMAN!!!

 

BONES OF THE THORAX

•          CONSISTS OF THE THORACIC VERTEBRAE, THE RIBS AND THE STERNUM

•          PROTECTS HEART, LUNGS, THYMUS

•          SERVES AS AN ATTACHMENT POINT FOR MUSCLES INVOLVED IN RESPIRATION, POSITION OF VERTEBRAL COLUMN AND MOVEMENT OF PECTORAL GIRDLE

 

STERNUM

•          FLAT BONE THAT FORMS IN THE ANTERIOR MIDLINE OF THE THORACIC WALL

•          IS COMPOSED OF THREE BONY ELEMENTS: MANUBRIUM, BODY, AND XIPHOID PROCESS

 

MANUBRIUM

ARTICULATES WITH THE CLAVICLES AND THE CARTILAGES OF THE FIRST PAIR OF RIBS

 

BODY

ATTACHES TO THE INFERIOR SURFACE OF THE MANUBRIUM AND EXTENDS INFERIORLY ALONG THE MIDLINE

 

INDIVIDUAL COSTAL CARTILAGES FROM RIBS PAIRS 2 – 7 ARE ATTACHED TO THIS PORTION

 

XYPHOID PROCESS

SMALLEST PART OF THE STERNUM

 

ATTACHED TO THE INFERIOR SURFACE OF THE BODY

 

THE DIAPHRAGM AND RECTUS ABDOMINALIS MUSCLES ATTACH TO THE XYPHOID PROCESS

 

RIBS

•          12 PAIRS OF RIBS PROTECTS THE THORACIC ORGANS AND AID IN RESPIRATION 

•          ALSO CALLED COSTAE

•          ARE CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO HOW ARTICULATE WITH THE STERNUM

 

VERTEBROESTERNAL RIBS

THE SUPERIOR 7 PAIRS ARE KNOW AS TRUE RIBS

 

BECAUSE THER ARTICULATE DIRECTLY WITH THE STERNUM BY SEPARATE CARTILAGINOUS EXTENSIONS

( COSTAL CARTILAGES

 

VERTEBROCHONDRAL RIBS

THE PAIRS 8 – 12 ARE KNOW AS THE FALSE RIBS

 

BECAUSE THEIR ANTERIOR ATTACHMENT IS AN INDIRECT ONE.

 

THE COSTAL CARTILAGE OF THESE RIBS FUSE TOGETHER AND MERGE WITH THE CARTILAGES OF RIB PAIR 7

 

THE LAST TWO PAIRS ARE KNOW AS FLOATING RIBS

 

AND HAVE NO CONNECTION WITH STERNUM                                                

 

  ( are attached only to vertebrae )