Musculoskeletal System for Muscles and Cartilages- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theMusculoskeletal System for Muscles and Cartilages. Answer: The human musculoskeletal system, which at times is called the locomotors system, comprises the skeletal bones, muscles, cartilages, tendon, and ligaments. Besides, it also includes the joints and other connective tissue components that that bind, supports and put tissues and organs together (Neumann, 2013). In general, it is composed of two systems, skeletal system, and muscular systems. The skeletal system is also known as the hard tissues and comprises of the bone and the cartilages. Muscular system, on the other hand, includes the muscles, ligaments tendons, synovial membranes and joint capsules. The musculoskeletal system describes the way bones-bones connection occur as well as how bones are connected to muscle fibers through other connective tissues which include ligaments and tendons. This system is the main reservoir of phosphorous and calcium in the body. The actual number of bones in the human body is among the controversial topics in medicine. During infancy, humans are believed to have over 300 bones. Some of these bones tend to fuse together as an individual grows and the average number of bones in a person's body is 206. However, the method of counting of these bones is what brings discrepancy. Some people see other structures as one bone having different parts while others count the parts as separate bones. Hence, in general, bones are classified into five different groups. These groups include the short bones, long bones, irregular bones, flat bones, and sesamoid bones. Besides, the skeletal system contains both individual and fused bones attached to ligaments, cartilages, and tendons (Kelley et al. 2002). The complex structure of skeletal tissue has two main divisions. One is the axial skeleton that comprises of the vertebral column, and the other one is the appendicular skeleton. The musculoskeletal system is charged with several functions. The main function is providing support to other tissues and structures of the body. Stability is another essential function of the system. It is also the system of the body that performs locomotion through contraction and relaxation of muscles (Watkins, 2010). The musculoskeletal system gives the body its forms due to its arrangement and alignment in the body. Calcium and phosphorous are stored within bones, which are the components of the system. In return, the storage capacity of the musculoskeletal system helps the body in regulating mineral balance in the blood stream. When the circulating minerals in the blood stream are high, the excess is stored in the bones and withdrawn when the supply is low. Formation of new blood cells occurs in the system as well as its supply. The bones contain two types of bone marrow; the yellow bone marrow and the red bone marrow. Yellow bone marrow contains the fatty connective tissues, which are located in the marrow cavity within the long bones. This stored fat in the yellow bone marrow is very important during starvation as the body uses it to generate energy. Redbone marrow, on the other hand, is a crucial site for blood production. It produces approximately 2.5 million blood cells per second, which then replace the ones destroyed by the liver (Powers, and Duarte, 2010). In adults, the red bone marrow forms all the platelets, erythrocytes and some of the leucocytes. In infants, the bone marrow is not well developed for the function of blood production, and thus the spleen takes up the role. Since the musculoskeletal system is made up of both hard and soft tissues, it protects delicate organs like the heart and lungs found in the interior parts of the body. After the production, the manufactured blood cells migrate from the bone marrow into the bloodstream to carry out their respective functions. Muscles come in three types, smooth muscles, cardiac muscles, and skeletal muscles. Smooth muscles are found on the surfaces of narrow lumens. Their main functions are controlling the passage of substances through these lumens for instance blood in the blood arteries, veins, and capillaries. Cardiac muscles and the skeletal muscles have striations, which can be viewed under a microscope. However, it is only the smooth and skeletal muscles that are part of the musculoskeletal system. Also, the skeletal muscles are the only ones responsible for the movement of the body (Allison, Nazarian, 2010). Cardiac muscles occur in the heart, and their main function is pumping blood throughout the body. Skeletal muscles are attached to the bones in an opposing manner. Tendons are tough, fibrous and tough bands of connective tissues. The man function of tendons is connecting muscles to bones. When the muscles contract, tendons tend to transmit the force created to the rigid bones, which then pulls them resulting in movement. Tendons are elastic which makes them function as springs during movement, hence saving time. Structures that joint bones and allow bones to move against each other during movements are called joints. Joints are of two types, diarthroses, and the synarthroses. Diarthrosis are joints that allow movement between two articular heads. On the other hand, synarthroses are sometimes known as the false joints. They are immovable, hence allow no or little locomotion and are fibrous (Akdemir, G. (2010). The synovial fluid in the joints helps in lubrication. It thus reduces friction between the moving parts. Furthermore, a ligament is a tiny band of white, elastic and dense tissue. Their main function in the musculoskeletal system is to join the ends of bones together forming joints. Ligaments limit some movements that may lead to breaks and dislocations since they are elastic and increase their length while under pressure (Gallagher, 2010). When the stretching occurs and exceeds the limit, the ligaments are subjected to breaking and may lead to unstable joints. Also, ligaments tend to limit weird movements like hyperextension and hyperflexion. It also limits some certain directional locomotion. Therefore, the human musculoskeletal system, which at times is called the locomotors system, comprises the skeletal bones, muscles, cartilages, tendon, and ligaments. The main function is providing support to other tissues and structures of the body. Stability is another essential function of the system. References Neumann, D. A. (2013). Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System-E-Book: Foundations for Rehabilitation. Elsevier Health Sciences. Watkins, J. (2010). Structure and function of the musculoskeletal system. Human Kinetics 1. Berquist, T. H. (Ed.). (2012). 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