Skeletal System Practical Handout

This handout is designed to guide students through the identification of major structures, bones,
and key concepts related to the skeletal system during practical sessions.

Part 1: Skeletal Division and Bone Classification

Task 1: Identify the components of the major skeletal groups.

Skeletal Group Components (list example of bones for each group)

Axial Skeleton

Appendicular Skeleton

Task 2: Define and provide examples of different bone shapes.

Defining
Bone type, Example bone(s)
characteristic,

Protect internal
Flat bones
organs

Support weight and

Have complex
Irregular bones
shapes

Sesamoid bones Reinforce tendons

Specialised bones
Pneumatic bones that contain air-
filled spaces

Prepared by AP Dr Che Norma Mat Taib, Department of Human Anatomy, FMHS, UPM. 1
Part 2: Axial Skeleton

Section A: Skull

Task 3: Identify the bones forming the neurocranium and viscerocranium.

1. How many bones form the neurocranium (brain box)? _________

2. List the paired bones of the neurocranium (4 bones total):

3. List four bones of the viscerocranium (facial skeleton) and state their count:
__________________________________________________________________.

Task 4: Suture Identification and Landmarks.

1. Identify the H-shaped suture that unites the frontal, parietal, sphenoid, and temporal bones:
____

2. What major blood vessel lies deep to the structure identified above? Anterior branch of
_____________________.

3. Intersection of the sagittal and coronal sutures is called ____________.

4. Junction of the sagittal and lambdoid sutures is called _______________.

5. In the external aspect of the Norma basalis, the hard palate is formed by which two bones?
_________________________________.

Task 5: Infant Skull and Fontanelles.

1. List four types of fontanelles present in a newborn infant: __________ (diamond shape),
________ (triangular shape), ________ (anterolateral), and ________ (posterolateral)
fontanelles.

2. What does a depressed or sunken fontanelle indicate about the infant? ____________.

3. What does a tense or bulging fontanelle suggest (excluding crying or vomiting)?

4. State the closure time for the following fontanelles:

◦ Anterior fontanelle: by _______ (indicated by the location of the bregma of the adult skull).

◦ Posterior fontanelle: by _______ (indicated by the location of the lambda of the adult skull).

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Section B: Vertebral Column and Thoracic Cage

Task 6: Vertebral Column.

1. Adult vertebral column consists of ___ vertebrae.

2. List the number of individual vertebrae in the following regions:

◦ Cervical: _____

◦ Thoracic: _____

◦ Lumbar: _____

3. What are the two components of a typical vertebra that form the vertebral arch? _________.

4. Which feature is characteristic of typical cervical vertebrae (C3-C7)? _____ spine and
________ foramen.

5. Which two sections of the spine allow flexion and extension, but prevent rotation? ______
vertebrae.

6. Sacrum is formed from ___ fused vertebrae and articulates superiorly with ____.

Task 7: Disorders of the Axial Skeleton.

1. Define the following abnormal spinal curvatures:

◦ _______: An abnormal lateral curvature.

◦ ___________: An exaggerated thoracic curvature.

◦ ____________: An inward lumbar curvature.

Task 8: Thoracic Cage.

1. Ribs R1 – R7 are classified as ____ ribs because they articulate from the thoracic vertebra to
the sternum via costal cartilage.

2. Ribs R8 – R12 are classified as _____ ribs because they do not articulate directly anteriorly with
the sternum.

3. Ribs R11 and R12 are called ______ ribs.

4. List three differences that classify the 1st, 2nd, 10th, 11th, and 12th ribs as ______:

Prepared by AP Dr Che Norma Mat Taib, Department of Human Anatomy, FMHS, UPM. 3
 ◦ They have a _____ facet on the posterior end (unlike typical ribs which have two chondral
facets).

◦ The _________________ ribs have features that are not common to other ribs. (Specific
examples: 1st rib is wide + short, has two costal grooves, and one articular facet; 11th & 12th ribs
have only one articular facet with no neck).

5. Sternal angle (angle of Louis) marks the location of the _____ ribs.

Part 3: Appendicular Skeleton (Upper Limb & Lower Limb)

Section C: Upper Limb and Pectoral Girdle

Task 9: Pectoral Girdle.

1. Pectoral girdle consists of the 2 _____ and 2 _____.

2. Pectoral girdle connects with the axial skeleton only at the ________ (claviculosternal joint).

3. What is the function of the clavicle relating to force transmission? It transmits

4. What is the weakest part of the clavicle, making it a common site of fracture? Junction of
_____________________.

5. In the scapula, which fossa is located superior to the scapular spine? _________ fossa.

6. Identify the processes/tubercles where the following muscles attach:

◦ Long head of biceps brachii: _________ tubercle

◦ Long head of triceps brachii: __________tubercle

7. The SITS muscles (part of rotator cuff) stabilise the shoulder joint. Match the muscle to its
attachment site on the humerus:

◦ Subscapularis muscle: _______ tubercle

◦ Infraspinatus muscle: _______ facet of the greater tubercle

◦ Supraspinatus muscle: _______ facet of the greater tubercle

Task 10: Forearm and Hand.

1. Forearm consists of the ___ (medial) and _______ (lateral).

Prepared by AP Dr Che Norma Mat Taib, Department of Human Anatomy, FMHS, UPM. 4
2. Which fossa of the humerus receives the head of the radius when the forearm is flexed (bent)?
_________________.

3. What important anatomical structures run through the Spiral/Radial groove on the posterior
surface of the humerus? ___________________________________________.

4. List the four carpal bones in the proximal row (starting radial to ulnar):
__________________________________________________________________________.

5. Which carpal bone is the largest? _________.

6. Which digit (finger) has no middle phalanx? _______.

Section D: Lower Limb

Task 11: Pelvis and Thigh.

1. The two hip (pelvic) bones articulate anteriorly at the _______________.

2. The fusion of three parts forms the hip bone (innominate bone) :
___________________________________________________________.

3. Which bone is the longest and heaviest in the body? ________.

4. In the upper end of the femur, the line connecting the greater and lesser trochanters anteriorly
is the ________________________.

5. The large sesamoid bone that forms the patellofemoral joint is the _________.

Task 12: Leg and Foot.

1. The two bones of the leg are the ____ (large, weight-bearing medial bone) and the ____ (slender
lateral bone).

2. The prominent tubercle on the anterior surface of the upper end of the tibia is the _____
tuberosity.

3. The lateral process of the lower end of the fibula is the ______ malleolus.

4. Identify the largest of the seven Tarsal bones: _________.

5. Which tarsal bone transmits the weight of the body from the tibia toward the toes? ____.

Prepared by AP Dr Che Norma Mat Taib, Department of Human Anatomy, FMHS, UPM. 5
Part 4: Histology and Microscopic Anatomy of Bone

Task 13: Functions and Gross Anatomy.

1. List three functions of bone tissue (excluding movement): ___________________________.

2. What is the dense outer layer of a long bone called? _______________________________.

3. What is the hollow chamber in the bone shaft called, and what two types of marrow do it
contain? _________________________. It contains ________________________________.

4. The bone covering, the Periosteum, has an outer layer of connective tissue and an inner cellular
_______________________________.

5. What are the two main components of the bone matrix?

◦ Organic substances (30%): _________________________________________________.

◦ Inorganic substances (67%): ________________________________________________.

Task 14: Bone Cells and Their Roles.

1. Identify the four types of cells that make up bone tissue:

2. Which cell type is derived from osteogenic cells and secretes collagen and organic components
needed to build bone tissue?

3. Which cell type is a mature bone cell that maintains the daily cellular activities of bone tissue
(e.g., exchange of nutrients and wastes)?

4. Which multinucleated giant cell settles on the surfaces of bone and functions in bone resorption
(destruction of matrix)?

Task 15: Microscopic Structure and Ossification.

1. Structural unit of compact bone is the _________________.

2. List three structures found within an osteon: _____________________________________.

3. What is the function of the microscopic canaliculi? _________________________________.

4. Differentiate between Haversian (Central) canals and Volkmann's (Perforating) canals:

◦ Haversian canal: _________________________________________________________.

◦ Volkmann's canal: ________________________________________________________.

Prepared by AP Dr Che Norma Mat Taib, Department of Human Anatomy, FMHS, UPM. 6
5. Which type of ossification involves the replacement of hyaline cartilage with bone tissue, forming
most bones of the body (including long bones)? __________________________.

6. Which type of ossification involves the replacement of sheet-like connective tissue membranes
with bony tissue, forming the flat bones of the skull, mandible, and clavicle?
__________________________________________________________________________.

Extra Questions

SAQ 1: Explain the anatomical structure known as the pterion and detail the clinical consequences
of damage to the artery that lies deep to it.

SAQ 2: Describe three distinct health indicators a physician can determine by palpating the
fontanelles (specifically the anterior and posterior) of an infant.

SAQ 3: Compare the mobility limitations and capabilities of the thoracic vertebrae (T1-T12) versus
the lumbar vertebrae (L1-L5).

SAQ 4: The 1st, 11th, and 12th ribs are classified as atypical. List three features that
differentiate these ribs from the typical ribs (R3-R9).

SAQ 5: Identify the primary function of the clavicle related to biomechanics (holding the arm) and
force transmission and state the weakest part of the bone where fractures most commonly occur.

SAQ 6: Describe the lineage, location, and primary function of the mature bone cell ( Osteocyte)
compared to the bone-resorbing cell (Osteoclast).

SAQ 7: Differentiate between the Haversian canal (Central canal) and the Volkmann's canal
(Perforating canal) based on their internal structure and orientation within compact bone.

SAQ 8: Compare and contrast the two primary patterns of bone formation (ossification) by stating
the material that is replaced in each process and listing one example of a bone formed by that
method.

Prepared by AP Dr Che Norma Mat Taib, Department of Human Anatomy, FMHS, UPM. 7