Musculoskeletal System : The Classical World

Introduction

The musculoskeletal system involves the body’s 206 bones, over 500 muscles and joints where any two bones meet. The bones form the body’s skeleton, a framework which, with the aid of the muscles, provides protection for the inner organs and bodily movement. The 80 bones of the skull, thorax and vertebral column make up the axial skeleton, and the remaining 126 form the appendicular skeleton. Each bone is a unique organ, with its own nerves, and blood and lymph supply. The bones store minerals such as calcium and phosphorus, and help produce blood cells (hematopoiesis). The upper and lower arms and legs provide the long bones, while the wrists and ankles provide examples of short bones. Other bones vary in shape and density, depending upon the part of the body and their intended function.

A common misunderstanding is that the root “ped” in the word orthopedist is from the Latin word for foot. The foot does indeed contain bones, and an orthopedist does correct bone problems; but the root comes from the Greek “paed” meaning “child” – as can be seen in the spelling of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. Bones were originally soft and flexible tissues and were only gradually replaced by stronger calcified bones. The bones of children are still developing and are more easily broken.