Division of human skeleton

Human skeleton can be divided into two divisions.

(I) Axial Skeleton:

Axial skeleton forms the axis of human body. It consists of Skull, vertebral column and thoracic cage.

• Skull: Skull is that part of human skeleton that forms the bony framework of the head. It consists of 22 different bones that are divided into two groups: bones of cranium and bones of face.

• Vertebral Column: It is a flexible column of vertebrae, connecting the trunk of human body to the skull and appendages. It is composed of 33 vertebrae which are divided into 5 regions: Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar, Sacral, and Coccygeal.

• Rib Cage: It is a bony cage enclosing vital human organs formed by the sternum and ribs. There are 12 pairs of ribs that are divided into three groups: True ribs, False ribs, and Floating ribs.

(II) Appendicular Skeleton :

It is the skeleton of appendages of human body. It consists of Shoulder girdle, Skeleton of upper limb, Pelvic girdle and Skeleton 

• Shoulder Girdle: It attaches the upper limb to body trunk and is formed by two bones: clavicle and scapula.Clavicle is a modified long bone and is subcutaneous throughout its position. It is also known as the beauty bone.

• Skeleton of Upper limb : The upper limbs consists of a humerus in the upper arm region, a radius and ulna in the lower arm region, 8 carpals in the wrist region and 5 metacarpals in the palm of the hand and 14 phalanges.

• Pelvic Girdle :  Hind limbs are attached to the vertebral column through the pelvic girdle which is made up of two hip bones. Each of these bones is formed by the combination of three bones; ischium, illium and pubis.

• Skeleton of Lower limb :  In the lower limb there is a single femur in the thigh, tibia and fibula in the shank, 8 ankle bones followed by five longer metatarsals and finally five rows of fourteen phalanges in the toe