The skeleton has six important functions: support, protection, body movement, blood cell production, mineral storage, and attachment points for muscles and tendons. The musculoskeletal system allows for movement, and the skeleton can be arranged in different ways to meet specific needs. Problems can include congenital conditions, tumors, broken bones, and muscle and tendon diseases.
The skeleton serves a number of different functions, with many scientists identifying six distinct skeletal functions that are particularly important. Animals with skeletons rely on their skeletons for support, protection, body movement, blood cell production, mineral storage, and attachment points for muscles and tendons. As can be seen by examining the skeletons of different animals, the skeleton can be arranged in many different ways to create animals of different shapes and to meet specific needs. Many animals, for example, need a tail for balance and have a series of jointed bones to support the structure of the tail.
Support is one of the more obvious skeletal functions; To understand how support works, imagine a person with no skeleton. The skeleton creates a rigid structure that determines the shape of the body and helps the body maintain its shape. This can sometimes be limiting; animals can only compact as much as their skeletons allow. Protection is another key skeletal function, with the skeleton protecting the vulnerable brain and lungs within bony casings that insulate these organs from impact.
Body movement is actually a function of the skeleton and muscles together, sometimes known as the musculoskeletal system. This system allows people to engage in a variety of motions, from taking huge strides while running to manipulating the fingers into the fine movements needed to play a musical instrument. Another of the skeletal functions, the production of blood cells, takes place in the bone marrow within the skeleton, where stem cells are produced which can differentiate into different types of blood cells as needed.
The skeleton also stores minerals for the body. If someone experiences deprivation, they can draw upon the skeleton for minerals and energy, up to a point. The skeleton constantly replenishes its mineral supply as people consume minerals, ensuring it has a buffer of stored minerals at its disposal. Finally, another of the skeletal functions is that of attachment point for muscles and tendons. The interconnected nature of the musculoskeletal system uses bones to support muscles and muscles to control the movement of bones.
As you can see from this brief overview of skeletal functions, the skeleton is an active part of the body. Problems that can hinder skeletal function include congenital conditions that interfere with skeletal growth, bone and bone marrow tumors, broken bones, and diseases that interfere with muscle and tendon function or strength.
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