The Skeletal System

So I'm taking an Intro to Anatomy and Physiology class this summer, and currently we are learning the Skeletal System. And of course reading the chapter and lecture on this subject manner lead me to think about the connections to Exercise Science / Strength and Conditioning. I believe it is important for people in athletics or fitness should make sure they are constantly remembering and reminding themselves of the skeletal system and how it works. No obviously I am sure every strength coach or personal trainer knows the 'basics' of the bones in the body. But, I think it would be safe to say that a lot of people have forgot the ins / outs of the skeletal system because they either learned it so long ago, or simply just havent been 'brushing' up on the subject.
Here are some points / ideas I have taken away from the chapter on the Skeletal System:

Types of Fractures: There is a short section describing different types of bone fractures a person can endure. Knowing about different types of fractures will be important should you ever have an athlete or client who is recovering from a recent fracture. One type of fracture that really stuck out to me was a "spiral fracture" which occures from excessive twisting of the bone. Should you be training a client or athlete who is recovering from a 'spiral fracture' you may want to consider eliminating twisting / rotating movements around that joint/bone. Or at least do twisting / rotating actions with caution.

Bones are Levers: Something all coaches and personal trainers should know, but some might forget. Levers have 4 different components. 1. rigid bar 2. folcrum/pivot point 3. object being moved 4. force moving the object. Best / most common example, would probably be the arm bones (humerus, ulnar, radius) performing either a curl, or extension. When performing a curl: ulnar and radius are the rigid rod, elbow is the folcrum/pivot point, object being moved would be the weight (whatever it maybe), and the force moving the object would come from the bicep. So, there is something to think about, how when it comes to movement, bones act as levers and folcrums to provide a movement.

Joints: Knowing the different joints of the body, what bones they consist of, and how they move / function. Is another important aspect of the skeletal system that I believe carries over to strength and conditioning. ESP with certain sports that place a lot of stress on certain joints. Swimming (shoulder), Baseball/Softball (shoulder/elbow), Soccer/Basketball (knee). It is important to know how much movement a certain joint has, as to not ask a certain joint to do more then it is meant to or prepared to do (synarthrotic, amphiarthrotic, diarthrotic). Also, what type of joint it is which will tell you what it is made of, how strong it is, and its ROM (fibrous, cartilaginous, synovial). The shape of the joint is also important to know, this will help you understand how the joint moves (ball and socket, saddle, pivot, hinge). Lastly, the different types of joint movements should be memorized and which joint a certain movement belongs to is also important to know.

Now all of this knowledge may seem trivial, or elementry, but I feel the basics of anatomy, physiology and kinesiology are the things we forget and/or ignore the most. I also think it is important to know and understand the basics because this is how we should explain things to our clients/athletes or teach them. We most continually learn and increase our knowledge, but we must try not to forget about the basics and continue to come back to the basics refresh of memory and find new ways to connect the basics to the more advanced.

That is all I have for now on the skeletal system, I might add more later this week. Next subject manner will be on the muscular system.

The Hip Bones Connected to the Thigh Bone...

KIK