The Skeletal System
Image retrieved from http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?66582-Skeleton-Study
Shape! Protect! Move! MAke!Bones make up the skeletal system and we know that they have many functions. Bones shape our bodies and protect our internal organs from damage. The joints between bones let us move. Also, bones produce red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets! Humans couldn’t survive without any bones.
Broken BonesBones are tough, but they can still break. When a bone breaks, it is called a fracture (SAY: FRAK-chur). There are different kinds of fractures depending on how the bone broke.
For some fractures, the pain might be unbearable but for others, you might not even know that the bone is broken! If someone has broken a bone, the best thing to do is not move it and call for help from an adult. A doctor will take an x-ray of the bone to find out what kind of fracture it is and determine a treatment plan. Blood vessels and body cells will heal bones naturally but they need time. Usually, the doctor will apply a cast to a broken bone so it will stay very still while it heals. |
What orthopedists know about bone healthThere are around 206 bones in an adult human body. It is easy to think that bones are old and dead from museums and television shows. This is not true. Our bones are growing and changing all of the time. All bones have three parts to them. The outer layer of bone is called compact bone. The inner layer of bone is called cancellous bone. The cancellous bone is like a sponge. In the tiny spaces of the cancellous layer is bone marrow. Bones are surrounded by blood vessels.
Bone GrowthBabies are born with about 300 bones. Most of these bones are not made from compact and cancellous bone. Instead, they are made from cartilage (SAY: KAR-tel-ij). Cartilage is much softer and more flexible than compact bone. With the help of calcium (found in milk), the cartilage is slowly replaced by compact bone as babies grow into adults. When humans grow, bones grow too. Smaller bones grow together so the 300 bones we are born with turn into 206 adult bones. This growth is usually finished when humans turn 25 years old.
Babies are born with smaller cartilage instead of larger bones so they are more flexible. This makes giving birth easier than if babies had fewer larger bones, like adults. Image retrieved from http://www.bike198.com/broken-bones-the-dark-side/
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Osteoporosis |
Love your Bones |
A very common problem that people have with their bones is called osteoporosis (SAY: oss-tee-oh-puh-RO-sis). This means that the bones become weak and they have trouble supporting the body. This is a problem because weaker bones break more easily than strong bones.
There are different reasons why people have osteoporosis. The most common reason is age. As people get older, bones begin to lose their strength. Sometimes diseases can cause osteoporosis but a poor diet and too much smoking or alcohol can also weaken the bones. It is important to strengthen the bones at all ages. Some ways to strengthen bones are to eat or drink lots of calcium, exercise, and stay away from drugs and alcohol. |
Bones protect you, move you, shape you and produce your blood cells. They take care of you each and every day so let’s reciprocate that love. Take care of your bones by following these tips:
Protect:
Strengthen
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Additional Resources
Kids Health (Broken Bones)
http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/broken-bones.html?WT.ac=k-ra
Kids Health (Taking care of bones)
http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/bones.html?WT.ac=k-ra#
NIH (Osteoporosis)
http://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/kids/PDF/HealthyBones.pdf
http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/broken-bones.html?WT.ac=k-ra
Kids Health (Taking care of bones)
http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/bones.html?WT.ac=k-ra#
NIH (Osteoporosis)
http://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/kids/PDF/HealthyBones.pdf