This essay will outline the principal features of the musculoskeletal system and look into a rare and debilitating disorder: fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP). The devastating effects of this condition will be explored as will treatment options

Authors Avatar

Elizabeth Chavez          Human Anatomy and Physiology Level 3        03/01/12

Musculoskeletal System and Disorders

        This essay will outline the principal features of the musculoskeletal system and look into a rare and debilitating disorder: fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP).  The devastating effects of this condition will be explored as will treatment options.  

        The musculoskeletal system, conceded by Lipman (2005), is made up of muscles and specialised connective tissues including: bone, ligaments, cartilage and tendons.  

Bones provide the foundation for the rest of the body: a point of attachment for muscles facilitating movement, stability and strength through rigidity, protection of fragile organs, storage of minerals like calcium (key for muscle contraction), and blood synthesis by haemopoiesis, in the red bone marrow (Waugh and Grant, 2010).  Osseous tissue is ‘living’; writes Hamerman (1998), it is continuously reconstructing and replacing itself.  There are several types of bone, shaped in concordance with their function, for example: the flat bones of the cranium create a protective shell around the brain (Walker, 2010).  Bone structure also varies; compact (cortical) bone is typically found where strength and durability is needed, like the shaft (diaphysis) of long bones, spongy (trabecular) bone is commonly found around impact points such as the epiphyses of long bones, dispersing energy and reducing stress levels within joints.  

Join now!

Joints (where two or more bones meet) can be classified according to their movability: fixed, semi-movable, and synovial; with synovial joints being subcategorised according to their range of motion; such as the freely movable ball-and-socket joint of the hip (Smith, 2010).  Ligaments give stability to joints, holding the bones together and preventing over extension, while a cartilaginous layer on the periosteum, protects and ‘cushions’ the bone, combined with the viscous synovial fluid inside the joint capsule, reduces friction creating smooth motion (Glenn, 2005).  

For joints to move, muscles must contract; muscles attach themselves to bones by tendons (strong fibrous ...

This is a preview of the whole essay