Connective Tissue
Dense CT Proper |
Meaning |
Function |
Ligaments |
Passive bands connecting bones to one another |
Guide and restrict articular movement, stabilize joints |
Tendons |
Connect muscle to bones and cartilage |
Contain afferent (sensory) receptors, Golgi tendon organs (GTOs), that sense tension and initiate reflexes inhibiting excessive tension during muscle contraction |
Aponeuroses |
cover surface of muscle and assist in attaching superficial muscles to another muscle |
protects muscles |
Supporting CT: Cartilage
Types of Catilage |
Meaning |
Function |
Elastic cartilage |
Extremely resilient and flexible (outer ear) |
Provides moveable shape and support to structures |
Fibrocartilage |
Extremely durable and tough (ex. pubic symphysis, intervertebral disks) |
Resists compression, absorbs shock, and prevents bone-to-bone contact |
Hyaline cartilage |
Weakest and most common type of cartilage (ex. connections between ribs and sternum, knee, elbow, etc.) |
Covers articulating ends of bone that terminate at synovial joints to contact stresses (also provides smoother movement and protection) |
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Functions of the Bones
Provide support |
Store minerals |
blood cell formation |
provide protection |
adopt movement |
Types of bones
Types |
Description |
Example |
Long bone |
long, thin, super strong |
humerus, femur, tibia, fibula, metacarpals, metatarsal, phalanges |
Flat bone |
protective bone, thin curve plates |
sternum, scapula, pelvic, cranial |
short bone |
cube shape, equal in size |
tarsals, carpals (wrtist, ankle) |
irregular |
spongy bone |
vertebrae, skull |
sesamoid bones |
small and round |
patella |
sutural bones |
fused bone ib the skull |
sutured cranium |
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