The osteo-muscular system (SOAM) is the main one in charge of allowing all the movements that we carry out on a daily basis. It is a conglomerate formed by the skeleton, but separately it is integrated by the bone system, that is, the bones, the muscular system and the articular system, also known as the joints.
Thanks to the osteo-muscular system (SOAM) we can walk, run, play or practice a sport. Although most of our movements are responses to stimuli received from the outside, in reality each of them are executed by internal stimuli from our body and that is where the osteoarthro-muscular system comes into play.
Thanks to this system we can move and move from one place to another, allowing us to move the entire body.
That is why when a person suffers from an accident and is disabled to move their limbs, they try to replace this inability to move with technological devices, such as prostheses, wheelchairs or the implant of those limbs.
There are two types of locomotion or movement and this can be active or passive. Passive locomotion is one where we move from one place to another without the need to move the osteo-arthro-muscular system, that is, through cars, motorcycles, airplanes, buses, among others.
In active locomotion if we put our osteo-muscular system to work and work. In this case we are moving and our bones, muscles and joints, too.
Division of the osteo arthromuscular system
As mentioned above, the SOAM is composed of the bones or the skeletal system, the joints, (which are responsible for allowing the union of one or more bones) and the muscles. This system contributes to movement, stores different minerals and protects internal organs of the body, in addition to producing blood cells.
The bones
They are the main support of our body. The bones are the most rigid and hardest part of the skeleton, they are whitish and resistant, although they may appear weak and fragile, they have the ability to support the entire weight of the body.
The compound of all bones forms the complex called the skeleton. The human body has about 206 bones inside. This is what is called the bone system, but in addition, osteocytes, which are bone cells, are included.
Bone cells can be compact (the osteocytes are close together, are heavier, and hard) or spongy (the osteocytes weigh less, since they are separated).
The main function of the skeleton and bones is to shape the entire body and individual parts, such as the limbs. In addition, it helps us to:
- Stand tall.
- It contributes to the protection of the organs (for example, the ribs protect the heart, liver, spleen and lungs; the pelvis protects the bladder, the reproductive organs in the female case and the intestines), of the cranial cavity (they protect the brain and shape our face) and the thoracic cavity
- Facilitates all kinds of movements.
- They create blood cells (called red blood cells and antibodies responsible for defending the body from foreign bodies).
- It stores calcium, which is the protein responsible for hardening and protecting bones, since without this protein, bones wear out.
In this system, the spinal cord is located, which is protected by the spinal column and is the brain's main route to exchange messages with the rest of the body.
Joints
Joints are one of the main elements that allow the development of movement, since they are a set of structures that facilitate the union between bones and make the skeleton flexible.
They are the main reason that locomotion is carried out properly, since it allows movement without excessive friction between the bone units, otherwise, the bones would be injured.
As defined by Moriconi, in his book The Osteo-Arthro-Muscular System: "joint is called the point of contact between two or more bones, in such a way as to enable movement" (Moriconi, D, nd)
The articular system is in turn made up of different elements: the ligaments, the joint capsule, the cartilages and the menisci.
Depending on where the joints are in the body, they may have more or less movement. For example, the joints of the hands are one of the most active in the body, on the other hand, the joints found in the skull are more rigid.
Precisely because of the capacity for movement that is given to the place where they are located, the joints are divided as follows:
- Immobile, fixed, or synarthrosis joints (found in the skull)
- Semi-mobile joints or amphiarthrosis (found in the pelvis and spine)
- Mobile joints or diarthrosis (existing in the elbows, knees, fingers, hips, among others).
The muscles
“The muscles of the body are more than 650 and constitute a tissue that provides the possibility of movement and the ability to exert force to the osteo-articular system. In addition, they allow the action of other systems, such as the circulatory or respiratory systems, by exerting an action that involves the force they produce. Muscles are made up of cells called muscle fibers, which differ from one another according to their structure and location. " (Mariconi, D, nd).
Muscles are masses of tissues that pull on muscles when performing any movement. The muscular system is the one that allows the adoption of different positions in the body.
Whether blinking or turning, the muscular system is always at work and allows organs to move their own substances, such as blood or other fluids from one place to another in the body.
Uniting these three systems (articular, bone and muscular) the osteo-muscular system is formed, in charge of allowing us to carry out any type of daily activity.
References
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